The life-changing consequences of throwing a brick at a bus

The life-changing consequences of throwing missiles at buses and trams are being revealed to school children through a hard-hitting new virtual reality film.

The powerful presentation tells the story of 'Noah' - who's called 'weak' by a so-called friend who pressurises him into hurling a brick at a double-decker. The brick shatters the bus window, showering a mother and her baby in a pram with glass. Noah is arrested and locked in a cell - desperately wishing he hadn't been so stupid.

The film - being watched by children wearing new virtual reality headsets - is a fictitious scenario, but latest statistics the Manchester Evening News can reveal today show the shocking reality of vandal attacks on buses and Metrolink trams in Greater Manchester.

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Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has revealed 371 reported cases of missiles being thrown at buses and trams here over the last 12 months - 271 involving bus services and 100 against trams.

The majority of attacks on buses involve stones or bricks, but 14 of the reported incidents reference eggs being hurled. The statistics show 10 cases of fireworks being thrown at buses, with a further 10 reports of missiles being fired from weapons such as air rifles, bb guns, pellet guns or catapults.

TfGM said items including a chair, a scaffolding joint and traffic cones have even been thrown at services.

In terms of Metrolink, a fence panel has been thrown at a tram and a cigarette lighter which reportedly exploded on impact. In one bizarre case, a man threw their bicycle at a tram after he