Residents have handed in a petition with 134 signatures to London's mayor Ken Livingstone, expressing their concerns over the G1 route.

They say up to 100 cars have been damaged, with wing mirrors ripped off and paintwork scratched, since a larger type of bus was introduced on the route earlier this year.

Resident Kathy Leppard said: "It's not only wing mirrors, we have had doors replaced.

We have to balance the needs of some residents who don't need the bus at all with others for whom it is a lifeline

Peter Hendy, Transport for London

"We are all for improved public transport, but eight years ago a hopper-style bus was introduced and it made sense because they were small.

"Eight years on we have had two increases in size and it does not make sense to have a High Street bus coming down a residential road."

Cars park down both sides of Broomwood Road, a narrow residential street in Wandsworth.

The small hopper-style buses were replaced with larger single deckers earlier this year.

Residents also claim bus drivers are breaking the 20 mph speed limit.

The London Bus branch of Transport for London (TfL) said it is working on improving driver training.

But Peter Hendy, of TfL, said the new buses were part of a plan to introduce buses with lower and more accessible floors.

He said: "We have to balance the needs of some residents who don't need the bus at all with others for whom it is a lifeline."