ASTONISHING pictures show a woman smoking crack cocaine on a bus in broad daylight in Scotland’s most famous shopping street.
The brunette crouches on the top deck as she inhales the Class A, highly-addictive drug from a pipe – as lunchtime shoppers stroll by in Princes Street, Edinburgh.
The pictures were taken by a startled 17-year-old who was asked by the woman when she sat down on the back seat: “Do you smoke crack cocaine?”
The woman, wearing a black jacket with a furry hood, and large hoop earrings, is seen in two pictures.
In the first, she can be seen squatting, facing the back of the Number 26 Lothian bus, in the space between the back seat and the seat in front. There is a faint smile on her face as she prepares the pipe.
The brunette, thought to be aged 30 – 40, is seen in the second picture inhaling from the pipe, at the top of which is a white substance. A piece of discarded cling film, normally used wrap the “rocks”, lies next to her handbag.
The photographer posted the images to social media on Friday, writing: “Not everyday someone starts smoking crack at the back of your bus .”
One friend responded: “Only in Edinburgh.”
Another wrote: “Ugh that makes me feel sick in my stomach. Children have to sit on those buses!! Disgusting.”
Other comments included “Totally mad” and “Wow”.
“Surely if you’re going to pick that up as a hobby [it] should be in private not public transport,” wrote another.
The teenager who took the pictures, who has asked not to be named, was on his way to meet a friend for lunch.
He said: “I got on the bus and this woman got on at Haymarket and she looked a bit shifty. She said: “Do you smoke?”
“I sort of questioned her. But in the end she was like, ‘No, do you smoke crack?’ She wasn’t offering any, she was just like, ‘Is it OK?’
“I was like, ‘Do what you want. I put my head down and put my earphones back in.
“I got off at the last stop on Princes Street and she waved at me out of the window. I was disgusted she was smoking crack on a bus, there could be children on that seat.”
In December, police in the Lothian and Borders area allegedly seized 1.7 kg (3.7lbs) of crack cocaine with a street value of £105,000 from a car in Jedburgh. It was thought to be the force’s biggest haul yet.
And in July three men were arrested after £140,000 worth of substances including crack were recovered from addresses in Edinburgh.
Police Scotland said today (Tue) that an investigation had been launched into the incident.
A spokeswoman said: “Edinburgh has a dedicated Transport Liaison Officer and we work closely with Lothian Buses to ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
“Officers have been made aware of this image and are conducting enquiries into the full circumstances.
“Anyone with information about this is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101 or make an anonymous report through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
A spokeswoman for Lothian buses said: “Our driver was not made aware of this incident at the time, however a full investigation has now begun and we will fully cooperate with the police on this issue.”
