School Bus Checks

30 March 2011, 17:37 | Updated: 30 March 2011, 18:01

A total of 19 school buses were checked between 14-25 March to ensure the safety of school children in Northamptonshire.

Officers and staff from Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire County Council, and the Vehicle & Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) worked in partnership to carry out the safety checks. The checks were made on buses used to transport children to Prince William School in Oundle and Kingsbrook School in Deanshanger. The vehicles were checked along with driving documents.

Eleven vehicle checks were made at Prince William School, which resulted in three verbal warnings. One was having no first aid kit on board, one was for a leaky shock absorber and another was for having no glass hammer on board.

Eight vehicle checks were made at Kingsbrook School in Deanshanger, which resulted in one verbal warning for no first aid kit on board.

Police Sergeant Jon Hodgson said: “The checks were part of a national campaign to improve standards and vehicle maintenance, to ensure the safety of school children across the county. The agencies working in partnership were reassured that no major defects were found, however it is disappointing that drivers and companies with the responsibility for transporting children do not spend more time checking their vehicles before use. All of these matters would have been identified with a simple check before setting off.”