By Jack Gabriel

A Leicester bus has been left with terrifying lookalike bullet holes in one of its windows as its service suffered a second attack within the space of a week.

The second bus was subjected to serious damage from an unknown weapon as a downstairs window was shot just two days after a similar incident.

SHATTERED: The 87 service is the second to have been targeted this week

The latest attack occurred on Wednesday evening at approximately 7.30pm, as the number 87 Arriva service was targeted on its route into the city centre.

Ashley Sutton, 20, who was onboard the bus, said: “We were heading down Aylestone Drive when suddenly there was a loud bang.

“Originally I thought we had crashed, until the driver came upstairs and asked us what had happened.”

He added: “We all went downstairs and saw the smashed window, which had 3 small holes in it.”

It is currently unknown what caused the damage to the window, but the holes were described as consistent in size and in their trajectory.

Mr Sutton said: “It looked as if either one person had fired a spray of projectiles or a group of people had fired simultaneously.

PERTURBED PASSENGER: Ashley says the attack has deterred him from using the service

“Nobody knew what to do with the situation, we all ended up waiting for a replacement service just a few metres from where the incident happened.”

The attack mirrored an almost identical event on Monday afternoon, which saw the number 51 Arriva bus in Braunstone targeted in a strikingly similar fashion.

CLOSE QUARTERS: The two incidents were closely located, within a ten minute drive of each other   (Credit: Google Maps)

The first incident caused minor injuries to an elderly woman, who had to be treated by paramedics after she was injured by the flying broken glass.

Mr Sutton said: “Thankfully only a handful of people were on the bus at the time, because if it was rush hour somebody would have almost certainly been sitting beside that window and they could’ve been seriously injured.

“It has deterred me a little from using buses in the area, as I keep thinking ‘what if it happens again with a worse outcome.’”

Leicestershire Police are investigating both incidents. A police spokesperson said: “Officers are carrying out enquiries after a bus window was damaged.”

“Enquiries are ongoing to determine how the damage was caused. Officers are looking at the similarities between the incidents, but at this time it is too early to say if they are linked.”

Anyone who has any information about either incident is urged to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.