An investigation continued today after a runaway bus ploughed into the front of a cottage.

The accident is beleived to have happened after a passenger released the handbrake when the driver had got off.

The vehicle travelled about 20ft before smashing into the cottage, seconds after the man jumped and ran away.

A woman aged in her 20s, who was the only other person on the bus, suffered minor neck injuries in the smash. Paramedics treated her at the scene in Hamble and she was later taken to hospital by ambulance.

Last night it emerged that the driver of the single-decker bus, which did not have its engine running, was not on the vehicle when the incident happened.

Witness Luke Henley, 21, said the driver of the number 16 First Bus stood near a cash machine while his vehicle was parked at a bus stop.

Marina worker Luke chased after the male passenger but he escaped by jumping over a fence.

Luke said: "I was coming out of the shop after buying my Euro Millions lottery ticket when I heard the bus driver shout 'Oi!' "At first I thought he was shouting at me but when I turned round I saw him running after the bus which was rolling across the road and there was a man just calmly walking away.

"I shouted at the man who then started running away across the car park. I chased after him but he had too much of a head start and I lost him when he leapt over a fence.

"The bus driver told me the man who let the handbrake off had been with the woman when they got on the bus."

Luke said the man had grey hair and was wearing Adidas tracksuit trousers and a dark coloured long sleeved T-shirt.

The elderly woman who lives in the £350,000 cottage on Copper Hill Terrace, was out shopping when the accident happened in Hamble Square.

The front window of the bus was smashed in the accident and the house suffered damage to its porch and internal wall.

Richard Soper managing director of First Bus said: "We can confirm that there was an accident during the course of the afternoon. The bus was stationary at the time, with the engine switched off and the driver not on board.

"From the reports I have received, a passenger on the bus released the handbrake without authority.

"The driver had left the vehicle and the bus subsequently rolled forward into a property."

Mr Soper added: "We understand there were no injuries and are now carrying out a full internal investigation."

Police confirmed they were called to Satchell Lane in Hamble at 4.51pm. They are understood to still be hunting for the man.

Anyone with information should call police on 0845 045 4545.