PARENTS have been boycotting a school bus because their children would not be protected by seat belts, it emerged today.

Outraged parents from Askham Bryan demanded a year ago that City of York Council provide seatbelts immediately for children going on the bus to St Mary's Primary School, at Askham Richard.

Spokeswoman Edwina Hughes said in a letter to the council that more than 19 pupils, aged between four and 11, used the bus regularly, but parents were very concerned about their safety.

And she revealed that the parents of another nine pupils had said they would use the bus if it had seat belts, reducing congestion in Askham Richard at school time.

She said: "We would never make even a short car journey without wearing a seat belt; why should a bus be any different?

"It is a huge concern, due to the safety implications if the bus was required to stop suddenly." She said there had been an accident one day involving a car and milkman, just minutes before the bus came along. "What would have happened if the car had collided with the bus?"

Labour councillor David Scott, children's and young people's champion, planned to raise the issue at an education scrutiny committee meeting last night.

He said that 11 months ago, action had been promised to ensure that buses to St Mary's Primary School would be made safe.

But he said the pupils might not get seat belts until September.

"This is far too late."

He said there were also no guarantees that schools which currently have buses with seat belts would not have them substituted with buses without belts.

Coun Madeleine Kirk, the Liberal Democrat chairman of the council's scrutiny management committee, which discussed the matter on Monday, said the contract for the St Mary's School bus run was not due to run out until 2011 - potentially leaving the children without belts for another four years.

However, the committee was recommending the council's executive to relet the contract from this September, with the council making a contribution towards the cost of fitting belts.

She said it had also recommended that all future contracts for buses to primary schools should require belts to be fitted.

The rules

Under national legislation, different rules apply to school buses taking children on trips.

While these vehicles have to be fitted with seatbelts, there is no requirement on buses taking children to school each day to have them.

Edwina Hughes said: "We feel that the same laws should apply to school transport."