FURIOUS parents have hit out at a school bus service after their children were left stranded at the roadside two days in a row.

Pupils, some only 11 years old, panicked when the buses supposed to take them to Thornleigh Salesian College left them behind because they were too full.

Children attending the college in Sharples Park, Astley Bridge, had to make their own way to school when they were turned away by drivers of two packed buses at a bus stop in Crompton Way on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

The Thornleigh 923 service has been plagued with problems since the new term began. Nicola Richards, aged 37, of Shireburn Avenue, said her daughter Holly, aged 12, and niece Giorgia Yates-Hart, aged 11, of Staton Avenue, were forced to walk back home on Wednesday morning after two packed buses went past their stop.

Mrs Richards said: "Giorgia was in tears because it was only her second day at the school and she was worried about being late.

"Luckily, I hadn't yet started work so I was able to take them and another friend to school in my car.

"The same thing happened the following day when the bus company only sent a double and a single decker so there wasn't enough room for all the children to get on.

"I also found out that on Tuesday, the first day of term, the majority of children had to stand up on the bus on the way home because there were no seats in some of the seat frames."

Mrs Richards said she had contacted the school, as had a number of other parents, to be told the bus company was experiencing "teething problems".

Mrs Richards said: "For a lot of these children, it's the first time they've ever been on a bus on their own and they found the whole thing very upsetting."

Father Martin Coyle, headteacher of Thornleigh Salesion College, said in a statement: "Some pupils have had difficulty travelling to or from school because the services have been operating single decker buses instead of double deckers.

"The school has a very good relationship with the bus companies and we are working to resolve the difficulty and improve the service."

Pupils from Canon Slade School, Bradshaw Brow, Bolton, have been experiencing similar problems. The buses serve both schools.

Deputy headteacher David Lever said: "There was a slightly insufficient capacity on some of the routes but the bus provider has been out to carry out a survey.

"It's totally impossible to predict accurately how many buses will be needed because we don't really know how many pupils will be returning to school until the first day of term."

The school buses are provided by four different bus companies, each of whom won a contract with the Great Manchester Public Transport Executive.

A GMPTE spokesman said: "We have been made aware of some difficulties at Thornleigh College and Canon Slade School, and we are carrying out an investigation of all aspects of the service and hope to find a solution."