This is the horrifying moment a bus driver was stabbed in the eye with a Stanley knife by a passer-by.

The 41-year-old was driving his route along the high street in Penge, south east London, when the suspect and another man with a dog walked out in front of the bus.

The driver challenged the man, who was crossing the road with a young child, after he was forced to slam on his brakes and he proceeded to kick the doors of the bus as it passed.

Appeal: Police are trying to trace this man who stabbed a bus driver in the eye with a Stanley knife and ran off

Attack: Metropolitan Police have released these CCTV images in a bid to trace the suspect, who can be seen putting his arm through the cab of the bus and stabbing him

When it stopped at a set of traffic lights further along the road the man is seen running towards the open window of his cab.

He then leans inside and attacked the driver with a Stanley knife, causing a puncture wound to his eye before making off.

The bus driver was taken to hospital after the incident at about 5pm on June 30 last year to receive treatment for the wound.

Metropolitan Police confirmed that the bus driver has been in hospital since the attack.

Officers released the CCTV images in a bid to trace the suspect, who they describe as black, thought to be in his early 20s, with afro hair and wearing a bright blue tracksuit.

Anyone with information is urged to contact PC Jay Thorn on 020 3054 8978 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting ref 152798.

The incident began when the man was crossing the road with a toddler followed by a man with a dog and they stepped out in front of the bus

The man and the child continue to walk in front of the bus while the other man and his dog stay at one side

He steps up onto the pavement where he is challenged by the driver about walking out in front of the bus

The man is caught on camera as he kicks the bus door from behind as it passes on the high street in Penge

The bus driver, who the police have not named, is then seen in his seat while waiting at a red traffic signal

The suspect runs up to the side of the bus while it's waiting in traffic at about 5pm on June 30 last year

CCTV footage then shows the man punching his arm through the open window of the bus driver's seat

He is armed with a Stanley knife, which he uses to stab the bus driver in the eye, causing a puncture wound