School bus was ‘smoking’ when children got on, says angry mum
COMPANY INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF FIRE
PARENTS of pupils who were on a bus which burst into flames minutes after its last stop claim it was smoking before children boarded.
A Notts & Derby service, which the Derby Telegraph understands to be the 240 bus carrying pupils from St Benedict Catholic School in Darley Abbey, caught fire on Raynesway in Alvaston on Monday afternoon.
The blaze gutted the bus but fortunately nobody was injured in the fire, which resulted in the closure of the A6 Raynesway for a number of hours after the incident was first reported at around 3.40pm.
A spokesperson for Notts & Derby Buses confirmed that a full investigation will be taking place. The company also said that it will be checking the rest of the buses in its fleet to ensure they are safe.
However, parents of schoolchildren who use the bus have claimed it has had “issues almost weekly”.
Kizzy Beckford, whose daughter was on the school bus on Monday and got off ten minutes before the fire, says her daughter saw the bus smoking when she got on.
She said: “She said before she got on the bus she saw smoke coming from the backside of the bus. The kids jokingly said that it looked like it was vaping.”
Ms Beckford claimed that the bus driver knew about this. This was put to Notts & Derby but the company did not comment on this allegation.
Speaking about previous incidents to do with her daughter’s school bus, Ms Beckford said: “It is ridiculous, in May the bus broke down and the kids ended up walking into town. I work in town so I picked her up and took her to school.
“I want my kid to be safe on the school bus which is meant to take her to school. I don’t want her walking the streets”.
The Derby Telegraph has approached St Benedict Catholic School for a comment.
In an email sent to parents by the school, it confirms that all pupils had got off the bus when the incident took place. The email states: “Please be assured that all buses have been checked and are safe for us, and services to all of our destinations will continue to run as normal, as the bus company has several replacement buses they can use.”
She said before she got on the bus she saw smoke. The kids jokingly said that it looked like it was vaping. Kizzy Beckford