Shoppers were lucky to escape injury when the roof of a bus shelter collapsed after the structure was hit by a bus.

Highways engineers were called to Market Street in Newton Abbot yesterday after a domed bus shelter collapsed.

One witness said: "It was lucky no one was underneath – they could have been seriously hurt."

Devon County Council engineers were called out to make the shelter safe yesterday lunchtime.

Investigations are being made into the circumstances around how a vehicle may have collided with the shelter, leaving it vulnerable to collapse.

No-one was hurt and no one was waiting underneath it at the time.

The bus shelter was installed last year. Devon County Council highways engineers were called out to make it safe and fix it.

A Devon County Council spokesman said: "The bus shelter has been struck by a bus, which dislodged the roof of the shelter.

"We have made the area safe by removing the roof and shards of glazing from the site."