A man who dyed his hair in an apparent bid to evade police has been arrested after a bus driver was spat at by a racist.

Shocking footage was posted on social media, showing a man spitting at the driver, banging on the driver’s cabin and spewing racist abuse.

It was filmed in the London Borough of Hillingdon and shared widely online, including by a former police officer.

Scotland Yard said earlier on Friday (August 9) that officers believed it was shot at a bus stop in Coldharbour Lane, Hayes, two days ago.

London’s Metropolitan Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command launched an investigation and condemned all such abuse in the capital.

A spokeswoman for the force said in an update: “Roads and Transport Command detectives worked with local officers to carry out an urgent investigation following this incident.

“Despite dying his hair to alter his appearance, a suspect was identified and has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault by beating.”

Rosie Trew, Transport for London’s Head of Bus Service Delivery, had told Express.co.uk: “We are shocked and appalled to see this video of abuse towards one of our colleagues. We will not tolerate this behaviour.”

The alleged racist attack comes after figures showed assaults on TfL staff rose 10 percent year on year in 2023.

There were 638 instances of physical abuse against bus drivers between January 2022 and June 2023, according to figures cited by ITV.

The alleged attack in Hayes also comes amid heightened tensions between communities in parts of the UK, with violent disorder having erupted in towns and cities including Rotherham, Leeds, Hartlepool and Liverpool.