Safety fears for Somerset pupils after school bus pulled

The bus service was due to be axed in September but will now run until at least November

Pupils will have to walk to school along “unsafe, unlit, muddy pathways” after a council pulled a coach service, according to parents.

The school bus between Winscombe and Churchill Academy is being withdrawn by North Somerset Council.

Parents of children as young as 11 say they were given no prior warning of the move, which was due to come into effect on 1 September.

The council says the service will now run until November.

Parents say they are concerned their children will not be safe using the route, which includes narrow lanes with no pavements, especially in the winter months.

Vickie Cottrell, who runs the Churchill Academy Parents and Pupils Facebook page, said: “We had a letter saying that the council had got the ‘safe’ route sorted and that all of the transport for that area was going to cease from 1 September. It was clear as day, no discussion, nothing.

“They’re expecting children as young as 11 to walk or cycle, in some cases for over an hour every day, to get to and from school because they deem unlit, muddy pathways, national speed limit narrow lanes and muddy fields a safe route for the children to use.”

Parents say cancelling the coach service will lead to an increase of 50 to 60 cars a day as they choose to drive their children to school instead.

The walking route is very muddy in some places

The council said improvements had been made to the route, providing a safe walking and cycling link between the village and the school.

But Churchill Academy head teacher Chris Hildrew said he would not support the change as the walking route was unsafe.

“These routes were not deemed to be safe previously and require significant remedial works to make them safe now,” he said in a statement.

“Until such time as there are permanent safe walking and cycling routes, we would expect the local authority to continue to provide home-to-school transport.”

North Somerset Council said it would keep the current bus service in place for “as long as it takes” for the route to be made safe.

But Ms Cottrell said: "There is no way that route is going to be safe short of a miracle before November, it is not feasible, they are going to have to spend millions of pounds putting it right."