A quick-thinking bus driver has been praised by police for using his 45ft vehicle to block a busy Norwich road – to shield an injured teenager from traffic.

Michael Oswick, 26, was driving the Harford Park and Ride bus down Ipswich Road when he saw a teenage moped rider crash from his machine.

With the 16-year-old motionless in one of the city's busiest roads, Mr Oswick feared the boy was in danger of being struck by traffic.

So he called 999 and then swung the Konectbus 602 service across the road to stop traffic from hitting the stricken youngster.

Paramedics were then able to treat the teenager, who was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by ambulance.

Mr Oswick said: 'I was following the moped rider the whole length of the A140 and he looked like a model rider, but then he put his brakes on and the front wheel just slipped away from him.

'I was a bit concerned because he seemed to be unconscious, so I used my bus to block the road as I was worried he might be hit by other traffic.

'There weren't any passengers on the bus, so I was able to give the lad my full attention. I called 999 and the paramedics were there within 35 seconds. I was astonished how quickly they arrived. There were a couple of lorries on the road and they were a bit confused as to why a bus was blocking the road because they couldn't see what had happened.

'I must have held up the traffic for about 20 or 25 minutes. I phoned Konect to tell them what was going on and I missed one trip and was back on the route for the rest of the day.'

Mr Oswick, who lives in Dereham with his fiancee Elora Logan and is due to get married in June, said he did what came naturally.

He said: 'When you witness an accident there's a lot of paperwork involved, but my view is that one day that might be me who needs the help.

'If someone has a puncture by the side of the road then I'll stop to help them, because I like to think people would help me if it was the other way around.'

Mr Oswick, who has worked for Dereham-based Konect for five years, said he was pleased to hear that the boy was not badly hurt.

The drama unfolded just after 9.30am yesterday morning, close to the junction of Ipswich Road with Hall Road. The road was cleared by 10.15am.

A spokesman for Norfolk police, said: 'We would like to commend the bus driver for his quick-thinking actions. Luckily the young man only received minor bruising, which may not have been the case if the driver had not acted in such a way.'

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed a 16-year-old boy had been taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and that his injuries were not life-threatening.

• Are you the motorcyclist or do you know who he is? Call Evening News reporter Dan Grimmer on 01603 772375 or email dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk