EIGHT passengers were safely evacuated after a service bus burst into flames.

The driver of the Number 81 Arriva bus was praised for keeping calm after he was able to get all his passengers safely off the vehicle as fire engulfed the engine.

Firefighters were called to the isolated east Cleveland village of Dunsdale but were unable to save the single-decker which had been travelling from Redcar to Stokesley.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "The fire appears to have started in the engine compartment.''

Steve Noble, managing director of Arriva North-East, said: "A bus operating in Dunsdale, near Redcar, was reported to us as having caught fire while in service. Emergency services were at the scene and all passengers evacuated from the vehicle without injury.

"It is unclear at this point what has caused the fire. Arriva will continue to work with the emergency services to establish the cause of the incident.