Bus catches fire on way to Swavesey Village College

The fire service said the incident happened in Bar Hill when the bus was travelling to Swavesey Village College

Firefighters have praised the "fast actions" of a school bus driver after the vehicle transporting 20 pupils caught alight.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the bus went up in flames in Bar Hill, just north of Cambridge, at about 08:30 BST when it was travelling to Swavesey Village College near St Ives.

It said the double decker bus was evacuated when crews arrived.

The school said none of the students, aged 11 to 16, were injured.

"Thanks to the fast actions of the driver, the bus was evacuated quickly and safely," said the fire service.

It said the cause of the blaze was accidental.

"Thanks to the fast actions of the driver, the bus was evacuated quickly and safely," the fire service said

Eyewitness Roger Howard described the blaze as "horrific" and said the smoke could be seen across the village

Roger Howard, who lives nearby and witnessed the fire, said he heard a "bang which sounded like a car back-firing or a bomb going off".

"The whole of the front of the bus was completely engulfed in flames," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"It was horrific and the black smoke was going up several hundred feet into the air."

Little remained of the bus after it caught fire in Bar Hill

Claire Mills, acting head teacher at Swavesey Village College, said: "Thankfully, the fire started off very small and the bus driver was able to immediately evacuate all students from the bus and get them to a safe distance as quickly as possible."

She added: "We are very grateful to all those who protected the safety of our students during this incident, including the bus driver, the bus company and the team at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue."

Ms Mills said the students were picked up by another bus and taken to school.

She said although no-one was physically hurt, the school had provided pupils with support and contacted their parents.

Police cordoned off Saxon Way to allow the bus to be recovered