A bus driver was hit in the arm by a nail fired from an industrial gun as he drove along a trouble-hit road in Henbury.

Bus services along Crow Lane were suspended for more than six hours after driver Steve Palmer was injured by the nail fired at the number 76 double-decker bus he was driving at 10.20am yesterday.

The 49-year-old driver was taken to hospital for treatment and was later allowed home.

Bus operator First immediately diverted three services  - the 76 Hartcliffe to Henbury service, the number 1 Broom Hill to Cribbs Causeway service and the number 40 Broadmead to Cribbs Causeway service - away from the road to protect drivers.

Police and an ambulance went to Crow Lane after the incident and First said it was working closely with Avon and Somerset police to establish exactly what happened and ensure that the culprits are brought to justice. 

CCTV from the bus will be supplied to the police to help the investigation.  

Services resumed along Crow Lane at about 5pm and police said they were stepping up patrols in the area.

Mr Palmer was reported to be very distressed by the incident but was expected to be able to return to work in a few days’ time.

Simon Cursio, commercial director of First Bristol, Somerset & Avon  said yesterday: “Our bus drivers work very hard to get people where they want to go and it’s wholly unacceptable for them to be put at risk while performing their duties.

“For this reason we suspended all services along Crow Lane.

“We do not suspend services lightly but we had no option in this case. We will review the matter again later this afternoon.

“We would like to extend our apologies to any customers affected by this decision to suspend services, and ask that they join with us in condemning the actions of those behind this incident.”

People waiting at a bus stop in Crow Lane at 2pm yesterday were unaware of the incident or that services had been suspended.

Sham Sawlani, 64, of Eastfield Road, Westbury-on-Trym, said: “I have been waiting for the number 1 bus to go to Westbury village for about 15 minutes. I will call my son to see if he can give me a lift.”

Yvonne Bartholomew, 70, was waiting with her friend Robert Errington, 90, to catch a bus to Whiteladies Road.

Mrs Bartholomew, of Knole Lane, Brentry, said: “We have been waiting about ten minutes.  We didn’t know the buses had been cancelled.

“Parking is a nightmare along Whiteladies Road so we thought we would go on the bus.”

Helen Stone, 29, also of Knole Lane, was with her two children Amelia, two and seven-year-old Billi, waiting for a bus to Cribbs Causeway.

She said: “There was trouble in Crow Lane some time ago but I thought it had all gone quiet.”

The move is not the first time buses have had to be diverted in the area because of yobs.

Last October First stopped evening services through Crow Lane after they came under attack from thugs hurling stones and fireworks after dark.

In 2003 First diverted buses away from both Crow Lane and Station Road after a number of incidents in which bus windows were smashed by yobs, at a time when residents were branding the area a “no-go zone”. After evening services returned, First paid for police to be posted on buses.

Yobs have also caused problems for the area’s shops, which had to install a CCTV system in 2005. The same year the Co-op store in Crow Lane took to playing easy listening and classical music on a speaker outside to drive away youths.

In January of this year a 15-year-old schoolgirl was dragged into bushes off Crow Lane at knifepoint and attacked.

And in March two Brazilian men were beaten and robbed after being approached by youths who had overheard them speaking Portuguese.

Later that month 150 people attended a meeting to call for action over anti-social behaviour that was blighting the area but there had been considerable improvements since then.

In April known troublemakers were banned from the area after being given Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and just days ago the police officer in charge of the area, Sergeant Terry Scoble, said problems in the area were “pretty much under control at the moment”.

Police said yesterday’s attack was an isolated incident.

Force spokesman Simon Whitby said: “It's regrettable bearing in mind all the good work that has been done in the area. We have achieved a 40 per cent reduction in anti-social behaviour in the last three months, working closely with the community and increasing public confidence and safety.

“We are fully investigating this incident. We have interviewed the bus driver, we have carried out searches in Crow Lane and we are looking at CCTV footage. We will be increasing our neighbourhood patrols over the weekend.

“We would appeal for information from the community to help catch the person who fired at the bus.”

Anyone who has any information should call Bristol CID on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.