Last week, 28 schoolchildren from Mottram Primary School in Manchester had a lucky escape when the bus that they had boarded in readiness for a school outing to Bridgewater Hall careered down a hill with no driver on board. The bus thankfully only travelled 100 yards before it hit a hedge and garden wall in Church Brow, Mottram, Tameside.
The doors were forced open before the petrified children aged 8 to 10, could be evacuated from the vehicle. Thankfully none of the children suffered serious injuries although several were treated for shock at the scene by paramedics.
The yellow school bus, operated by Belle Vue Manchester Ltd, had apparently been left without its handbrake on when the driver exited the vehicle to speak to a teacher. It is understood that he has been suspended however a full investigation by police, the bus company and by Tameside Council, the local education authority, is underway.
By Pauline Smith, associate executive in the personal injury department
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