A LANCASTER mother spoke for every parent in the area when she told of her worry that school buses don't have seatbelts.

Claire Hannah of Ullswater Road was surprised when her children Danya, 10, and Dylan, 7, were jerked across the school bus as it juddered to a sudden halt recently.

Like many parents she thought seat belts were compulsory. It is now illegal for car passengers not to wear seatbelts even in the back of a car where they are fitted.

The issue of seatbelts being installed on school came to the forefront of the county council agenda earlier in the decade when a child was killed on a school bus in the Garstang area.

She said: "My son came back one day in shock because this accident on the way to Quernmore School and I think a lot of the smaller children were. Nothing serious happened but it seems appalling to me that they wait until there is a number of deaths before they take any action. I have been on to the county council but have not had a satisfactory response.

"I have spoken to a few other mums and dads about this and they all agree with me that something should be done about it."

A county council spokesman argued that legislation clearly indicates that seatbelts only have to be provided on coaches - not buses (which drive at a slower speed). He added: "Legislation states that on all vehicles with 16 seats or fewer or any private coach that seatbelts must be provided. Unfortunately on buses with more than 16 seats it is impractical and could cause a hazard because of the low backs of seats."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.