AN Addingham man has told of his lucky escape after being caught in the bomb blast which killed 13 people on a bus in last week's London terrorist attacks.

Father-of-two Bruce Harvey, 37, of Lodge Hill, was knocked to the floor while walking in Tavistock Square by the force of the explosion and then witnessed the anguish of the passengers screaming for help

A shard of glass lodged in Mr Harvey's hand. He also suffered bruising and possible damage to his hearing but he says it is the psychological impact of the horrific event which will affect him for years to come.

The bomb went off almost an hour after the three devastating explosions on Tube trains, and financial advisor Mr Harvey was among commuters walking nearby when the diverted Number 30 bus was ripped apart by the blast outside the British Medical Association building.

Mr Harvey said: "I'm still shocked by it all. Obviously it's going to be something that's with me for the rest of my life."

Originally from South Africa, Mr Harvey regularly works in London, and he arrived at King's Cross Station shortly after 9am last Thursday to find the tube system closed.

After giving up on waiting in a taxi queue, he headed for Euston Station in the hope of finding an alternative route to his destination in Westminster.

He found Euston tube station was also closed. As he set off to walk again, he saw some of the many police cars and ambulances responding to the emergency, and realised something serious had happened.

Mr Harvey said there were many people walking on the streets, and trying to catch buses to their destinations.

He said he almost boarded a bus on his way, but was put off by the slow-moving traffic and the number of people also trying to board the buses, many of which were being diverted.

"The next thing I knew, I heard a huge explosion and found myself on the ground," he said.

"I thought the building next to me had been hit. I looked up, and I heard a 'clang, clang' as stuff from the bus came down.

"A panel of the bus came away at that side. I looked up and saw a woman sitting on the bus, just screaming. I was just about five metres away. I didn't see any bodies around, they were all at the other side."

Thrown into a natural fight-or-flight survival reaction, he stayed on the ground, aware that the explosion had been a bomb and fearing the building could collapse.

He had a sense of relief that he was still alive. Then his instinctive panic reactions told him he could still be in danger if he stayed at the scene, as the killer may still be on hand and armed.

"Most of the explosion went upwards. Once I realised the bomb was fully on the bus, I thought 'perhaps he's armed as well'. I just belted off away, ran across to the park, then went to the university further down."

He was unaware at this stage that his hand was bleeding where it had been hit by a piece of glass, and as he regained his senses, made the decision to go back to the scene with the intention of helping the people on the bus.

By this time, people from the nearby buildings and passers-by were helping the injured. He was shepherded into a building for safety, and someone saw his injured hand. Mr Harvey went to hospital by taxi to have the piece of glass removed.

He stayed in the capital overnight, contacting his worried family, including his wife and sons aged three and four, to tell them he was safe.

He returned to Addingham the following day and opted to work from home for the first part of this week.

He said he has found himself waking in the early hours. But as determined Londoners began to return to their everyday routines, refusing to be beaten by the terrorists, Mr Harvey was also preparing to return to the capital today.

Police believe the bus bomber was 19-year-old Hasib Mir Hussain from Holbeck, Leeds. His driving licence and credit cards were found in the wreckage of the Number 30 bus.

They believe Shehzad Tanweer, 22, of Beeston in Leeds 22, 30-year-old Mohammed Sadique Khan, of Dewsbury, and an as yet unnamed Leeds man were the other bombers, who may also have died in the explosions.

All four men were caught on CCTV footage at King's Cross Station, on the morning of the bombings.

Anti-terror detectives are now believed to be investigating whether the four men were suicide bombers. They are also hunting the 'mastermind' who arranged the atrocity with the young men.