"Driver error" was to blame for the trail of destruction caused by a runaway bus that ploughed through gardens, damaged cars and left four people in hospital, an investigation has found.

The double-decker's driver lost control of the vehicle after accidentally accelerating while travelling down Church Hill Road, Cheam, on December, Transport for London (TfL) said today.

The 93 bus smashed into a tree and 10 cars after jumping a curb and careering through three driveways, leaving chunks of metal and debris strewn across the road and a lamppost ripped out from the pavement.

Paramedics took four people - the driver, a bus passenger and two car passengers - to hospital for minor injuries.

RELATED: Out-of-control bus flies through gardens and wipes out cars in Cheam

Witness Kenneth Hillman said: "It sounded like a bomb had gone off. There were about three or four loud explosion-like sounds as I was sat in my chair."

At the time, passers-by told the Sutton Guardian the driver had said his brakes had failed as he drove the Go Ahead hybrid bus at 7.40am on December 8.

But a spokesman for TfL said today: "Following an investigation, it was determined that this incident was due to driver error caused by unintended acceleration.

"There were no engineering faults found with the vehicle itself."

The driver is no longer employed by Go Ahead, the bus company added. 

Your Local Guardian:

Residents of Church Hill Road expressed concerns about bus drivers speeding along the street after the double-decker careered out of control.

Chris Bush said: "They cane it down here. It's a not strange coincidence that when buses come down too fast on a rain sodden road that something like this would happen.

"There used to be speed bumps on the road, but they would still come down fast. But this road has been relaid and the bumps have been taken out."

Mother-of-three Denise Ozuome said her children were lucky to be alive following after the bus hurtled towards them.

She said: "[My husband] Hyginus was taking the rubbish out when I heard this loud banging sound.

"He grabbed our son and slammed the door shut behind him and ran into the back and said the bus looked as if it was coming towards the house.

"If it had happened a few minutes later my children would not be here."