Bus fumes traced to mechanical breakdown
A CLEARER picture of how children were left exposed to fumes coming from their school bus emerged last night, as officials continued to investigate the incident.
A CLEARER picture of how children were left exposed to fumes coming from their school bus emerged last night, as officials continued to investigate the incident.
The owner of the firm responsible for taking youngsters to Hobart High School, in Loddon, said a fault with the vehicle's bearings and turbo caused oil to leak into its exhaust.
This created fumes that left eight children requiring hospital treatment after complaining of breathing difficulties and nausea.
Hobart High headteacher John Robson said the affected boys and girls, aged between 11 and 14, had now recovered from Friday's ordeal and were back at school yesterday.
A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: “Our first concern is that all pupils should be safe on home to school transport, which is why we asked for the vehicle to be removed from Norfolk County Council service until any fault has been rectified.
“We would expect all contractors to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure the safety of passengers, including periodically identifying emergency exits and running through evacuation procedures.
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“Operators must ensure drivers know what to do in emergency situations. Once we have a clearer picture of exactly what happened in this incident, we will be able to see whether the bus operators and their drivers need any further advice from the county council.”
The bus was operated by Beccles-based Goldline Taxis and was carrying nearly 50 pupils to Hobart High from Ditchingham and other south Norfolk villages.
Owner Ian Trussler confirmed the fault with the bus and said he hoped the matter was now at an end.
“It has never happened before and was one of those things you don't see coming. It was a mechanical breakdown, which could have happened on a car, bus or lorry,” he added.
