EDUCATION minister David Blunkett may investigate the axing of a school bus service.

Angry parents and pupils from Our Lady's RC Primary School, Aspull, are still fighting for the reinstatement of the seat-belted school bus service which was discontinued last year.

It used to take 32 pupils from Blackrod to the Aspull primary school, prior to it being removed from service in April following a decision by Bolton Council.

Replaced

It has been replaced by a public bus service which was put out to tender by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.

But seat belts do not have to be provided on the replacement bus and now parents claim some children have been hurt as a result, banging their heads when they fell off seats.

Now members of the child safety pressure group KIDS have asked Ruth Kelly MP to pass on a letter from them to the Secretary of State for Education.

Mr Blunkett is being urged to probe the bus cut-back because of her concerns for the safety of the children.

Ms Kelly said: "I am extremely concerned that the parents are taking legal action against Bolton Council and have been seeking to try and find an amicable solution to this problem without the need for solicitors.

"I will also be looking at the route myself. I have agreed to forward their letter to the Secretary of State, David Blunkett, with a request that he investigates their concerns as a matter of urgency."

They claim three letters were sent to Wigan-based bus operator Springfield Coaches - which runs the new service - to report incidents when children allegedly received injuries.

Yesterday the bus company's owner Bill Tresize confirmed he had received letters from parents.

Operate

He added: "We bought a brand new bus to operate on this service. As a public service the bus does not have to have seat belts on it."

Suzanne Edwards, whose daughter uses the bus, said: "It's ludicrous that Bolton Local Education Authority have taken away a coach that had seat bealts that are known to save lives. They have no regard for the children's safety."

But education chiefs say they have fulfilled their legal responsibility by arranging for county transport chiefs to run a public bus service from the village to the school.

A council spokesman said: "This matter was exhaustively investigated in 1997. The authority has discharged its statutory duties fully.

"The route for walking to school has been subject to a detailed risk assessment, which confirmed it is safe. The authority will be pleased to provide this information to any future investigation."

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