THE trial of a Bolton teacher accused of raping a teenage girl was due to start at Winchester Crown Court today.

Lee Savage, aged 31 and head of history at Sharples High School, is alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted a 17-year-old girl at the Haven Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight in April.

Savage, a married man, of Roseland Drive, Prestwich, denies the offences. He had been visiting the island with pupils from across the country as part of a students' trade fair. Neither of the alleged offences involved Sharples pupils.