Birmingham city centre was brought to a standstill during yesterday morning's rush hour after a bus crashed into a lamppost, trapping the driver.

The No 17 Travel West Midlands service careered off the road at a pedestrian crossing opposite Moor Street Train Station, by the Bull Ring.

Moor Street Queensway was closed for almost three hours as fire teams and ambulance staff battled to free the driver. The man, in his 50s, was taken to City Hospital with minor injuries. No one else was hurt.

A member of the ambulance crew said: "Fortunately the bus was empty of passengers at the time and pedestrians who were in the path managed to get out of the way.

"The bus was badly damaged and it took out a lamppost and the lights from the pedestrian crossing as well. The driver was very shaken up and had neck, shoulder and knee pain."

West Midlands Police said Moor Street was closed between 10am and 12.40pm.

A spokesman for Travel West Midlands said it was co-operating fully with a police inquiry into the crash. He said: "We will support the police in their investigations and we are running our own inquiry."