I saw man dragged to his death by bendy bus

Lee Beckwith, 21, fell as he got off a bus in Ilford High Road and became trapped beneath the wheels of the Number 25. His body became dislodged a mile away in Romford Road, Manor Park, and passers-by alerted police.

Mr Beckwith, a tiler who lived with his partner in Brentwood, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Krisztina Keresztes, 26, was on the Number 25 bus behind the one that killed Mr Beckwith when it was stopped by police. The waitress of Ilford, who was on her way to work in Hackney, stepped off the bus and saw the aftermath.

She said: "Police stopped us and said we had to get off because someone had been hurt. When I got off I could see a man's body lying in the road and a trail of blood behind it.

"The trail went up the street where he had been dragged and there was also blood on the road that had been left by the wheels." She added: "I don't understand how he could have been dragged so far without anyone knowing he was there or stopping the bus. It's so terrible and I only hope he didn't know too much about it."

Floral tributes have been left at the spot where Mr Beckwith's body came to rest on Romford Road just past the junction with Rabbits Road. Mr Beckwithhad disembarked from the bus with a male friend in Ilford High Road at the junction with Clements Road when he became trapped.

The driver, who is in his fifties, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving before being released on police bail to return to a station on 16 January. Police cordoned off the stretch of road where Mr Beckwith's body was dragged, causing traffic tailbacks.

Police are today examining CCTV footage from the bus and the surrounding area.

Detective Superintendent Mark Robson from the Collision Investigation Unit at Chadwell Heath has appealed for people who witnessed the incident, which happened at 5am yesterday, to come forward.

He said: "We are keen to speak to any passengers on the bus and also anyone who was in the area of Ilford High Road junction with Clements Road at approximately 5.05am - this location is close to a branch of Barclays Bank."

Mr Beckwith's death has prompted calls for a review of the safety record of bendy buses. But a Transport for London spokesman said the London bus network had an excellent safety record.

A police source said: "This has to be a long and detailed investigation before we make any kind of decision of what action to take, if any."

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8597 4874.