AN investigation has been launched at a North Yorkshire school after a brick fragment was thrown from a school bus into the windscreen of a family car.

The car driver, Nigel Francis, told the Evening Press he believed somebody could have been killed in the incident, which happened as he drove his family across North Yorkshire.

He informed police and while he does not know which school may have been involved, teachers at Lady Lumley's, Pickering, are investigating.

Mr Francis, an Otley town councillor, was driving his Toyota Landcruiser on the A170, near Pickering, just before 4pm last Thursday when a one-inch object, which he believed to be a stone, hit the windscreen directly in front his face.

Mr Francis, who was driving his wife and two-year-old son home from a holiday in Scarborough, believes the object was thrown from a red, double-decker school bus travelling in the opposite direction.

"As we came into Pickering on the A170 we could see a red double-decker bus coming towards us," he said.

"There seemed to be something hanging out of one of the back windows and, as my car came alongside, I saw something thrown down and smash into my windscreen.

"I slammed on the brakes and we screeched to a stop.

"We were pretty shocked. It was lucky my windscreen did not break and that there was no one behind us.

"It appeared a stone had hit the windscreen and red brick dust was left on my car.

"We went straight to Pickering police sub-station to report the incident," said Mr Francis.

Mr Francis said he wanted the people who threw the stone to know what danger they were putting other people at.

"Somebody could swerve across traffic and cause a head-on accident - somebody could be killed," he said.

North Yorkshire County Council operates three red double-decker buses on behalf of Lady Lumley's School, Pickering, which take students to school, two of which travel along the A170 to Thornton-le-Dale and Snainton.

Deputy head teacher, Trevor Boag, said the school was taking this incident very seriously.

"I can confirm it was a student travelling on a school bus that was involved.

"I am very concerned about this incident and we will identify who was involved and we will take action in the proper way.

"We have a code of conduct agreed by the pupils in school council and the students know we will follow this up," he said.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "Police are aware of this incident, details have been circulated throughout the area and our investigations continue."

Updated: 10:41 Tuesday, September 25, 2001