A schoolboy was robbed and humiliated after being refused entry onto a bus because his oyster card didn’t work.

Liam Howlett, 15, boarded the 280 bus from Croydon on Thursday but when his 11-15 Oyster card didn’t beep the driver told him he had to get off.

When he got off the bus three youths, who had also been waiting at the bus stop approached him and started intimidating him.

One of the boys asked to see the St Andrew's High pupil's phone and, feeling scared, he showed it to them.

The phone was snatched out of his hands by one of the boys, while another walked off, seemingly not wanting to be part of the mugging.

The young Scout leader was then told if he wanted to get the phone back he had to do five star jumps. He did the jumps but the boys then ran off.

Liam’s mum, Tammy Howlett, said: “Sometimes it’s a case of kids will be kids everyone knows they will bully but this happened as a direct result of Liam not being allowed to get on the bus, despite the fact his pass has an expiry date and a photograph on.

“Luckily, the boy who walked off came back and apologised to my son and got his phone back for him but it should have never happened in the first place.

A TfL spokesperson said: “TfL does not want to see children stranded and placed in a vulnerable position, which is why we constantly provide bus drivers with guidance on how to deal with these situations.

“We will review this case to understand why the card didn’t work and whether the bus driver should have dealt with it differently.”

Have you had a similar experience? Call the newsdesk on 020 8330 9558 or leave a comment below.