A Lancashire school at the centre of a school transport to Blackburn dispute has secured a replacement bus for some of its pupils living in the town.

Last month 171 families in Livesey, Pleasington, Ewood and Mill Hill were angered when the special service taking their children to Walton-le-Dale High School was cancelled from after Easter.

It followed Oswaldtwistle-based Moving People cancelling its contract because of increasing costs.

Initially the Lancashire County Council secondary was unable to find an alternative service and pupils were advised to use public transport.

The issue was taken up by Livesey parish councillor and Blackburn Conservative Association deputy chairman Rick Moore who asked Blackburn with Darwen Council for cash support for a new bus service.

At the authority's full Council Forum meeting last month Walton-le-Dale pupils and teenage mum Tillie Delaney from Mill Hill pleaded with its bosses to stump up a subsidy.

Now the school has found an alternative costing £100 a month which Mr Moore says many families cannot afford.

It posted on its website: “We have secured one bus to Blackburn and one bus to Preston, this service will start on April 17 2023.

"The cost of the bus pass will be £100 per month, per student.

"There is limited space available.”

Mr Moore said: "The school has been working hard to find solutions.

"This problem is not of the school's making.

"I did feel it was unfair of them to expect parents to find £100 with just 24 hours' notice to secure a place on the bus though.

"The reduced-service bus is better than nothing for those parents that can afford it.

"It does not have the capacity for all students and some parents simply cannot afford it.

"There is also the issue of not knowing what will happen from September.

"Blackburn with Darwen Council's budget has increased by 33 per cent over the last five years and it can find the money for things when they want to. It is incredibly short-sighted to quite literally throw these children under the bus.

"This feels to me like they are being set up to fail by the council who seem to be finding every possible reason not to help.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council education boss Cllr Julie Gunn said: "I am pleased that the school has made arrangements for this service so that parents have another option as well as public transport.

"Whilst I welcome the recent increase from government we all know that the decade of austerity that preceded it stripped the local authority.

"Any paltry increases since then leave us some distance below 2010 levels in real terms. Schools similarly have seen a recent increase but we have to accept the increase is largely in relation to increased demand and costs and will leave many schools far from 2010 levels in real terms."