A bus driver accidentally wedged his vehicle in a central London street while attempting a three-point turn.

The rear of the red double-decker bus mounted the kerb, leaving the vehicle stuck and blocking the road, in an incident a witness described as reminiscent of a scene in spy-comedy Austin Powers.

Several passers-by and many passengers attempted to help free the bus as its engine strained in Cornhill near Bank station.

It is unclear when the route 21 bus was freed after it became stuck shortly before 2pm on 1 April.

Footage of the incident shows a crowd of onlookers sniggering at the mess, which played out like a large scale re-enactment of a famous scene in the nineties American blockbuster where protagonist Powers gets a luggage cart stuck in a corridor.

Witness Adrian Brailsford told the Evening Standard: “It was trying to do a three-point turn but the back mounted the kerb. The wheels were spinning round and round.

“All the passengers got off and tried to get it moving again, as you can see, trying to push it off the kerb.

120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Show all 9 1 /9 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Doug Levitt has been using Greyhound as his main form of transport since 2004 Patrick Fraser 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Greyhound is a "last resort" form of travel, he says Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Greyhound customers in Nashville Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Levitt has racked up 120,000 miles on the road Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus He's met people from all sections of society Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Prepare for physical discomfort on long journeys Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Greyhound travel shows a different side of America Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Waiting for the bus in Des Moines Doug Levitt 120,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus Levitt says there's a camaraderie amongst Greyhound passengers Patrick Fraser

The 46-year-old from Leyton, east London, added: “The passengers didn’t seem to mind rolling up their sleeves and lending a helping hand.

“People seemed quite amused by it all. Some were stopping and taking photos.

“We stopped to watch for about 10 to 15 minutes, but I have no idea what happened after that.”

Comparing the incident to the film, Mr Brailsford said: “I imagine the bus would be considerably more difficult to manoeuvre, so it’s a good job Austin Powers wasn’t behind the wheel.”

Transport for London has since explained the driver attempted a three-point turn because of diversions in the area.