Yesterday marked a year since a terrifying crash that saw a bus plough into 25 vehicles in a busy town centre street.

On Tuesday May 29 last year, just before 7pm, the 480 Arriva service was heading down Hythe Street, in Dartford, when it smashed into cars that were stuck in traffic and parked vehicles.

There were a number of minor injuries to pedestrians, and the only person taken to hospital was the driver.

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Speaking at the time of the crash, Susan Usher, of Weardale Avenue in Fleet Estate, said: "We just heard ‘bang, bang, bang, bang, bang’ as it hit everything in front of us. We had the full view of the entire thing.

“It was so surreal you just could not believe it.

“Someone said the driver did not get out of the bus. I think he was probably in shock.”

"A woman had to jump out of the boot of one car. The roads didn't clear until midnight." - Tharun Thayapran

The 59-year-old had gotten out of her car and walked towards the scene of destruction but stopped short of the front of the bus as it was suggested it could be a terrorist attack.

However, the collision was not deliberate and 25 cars were hit with 18 people suffering minor injuries.

She added: “If I hadn’t tried to find a different way home I think I’d have probably been hit too."

Another witness, Tharun Thayapran, who was 20 at the time, recalled the aftermash of the crash.

He said: "So I went to look and all I saw was this bus ploughing forward. It looked a bit like dominoes.

“Everyone was screaming and shouting.

“A woman had to jump out of the boot of one car. The roads didn’t clear until midnight.”

Ephraim Chibanda, of Packham Road, Northfleet, was 52 at the time of the crash.

He was initially arrested on suspicion of careless driving before being released pending further investigation a couple of days later.

On Tuesday March 26 Chibanda pleaded guilty to dangerous driving during an appearance at Woolwich Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 80 hours community service and was disqualified from driving for a year.

Oliver Monahan, Area Managing Director for Arriva Kent and Surrey, said: "At Arriva, we pride ourselves on the quality of the industry-leading training we provide to all members of staff, including our drivers.

"We always investigate incidents thoroughly, regardless of their magnitude, so we can continue to refine and improve our methods of training, incident management, and customer care."