Kids Hurt In Alton Towers Bus Accident

26 May 2016, 15:31 | Updated: 26 May 2016, 15:33

Two buses taking children on a school trip have crashed into each other.

The coaches were heading from Ardrossan Academy, North Ayrshire, to Alton Towers.

The crash occurred around 15 minutes from the Staffordshire theme park, shortly after 8am on Thursday.

A total of 89 S1-S3 pupils and staff were on board.

Five pupils were treated for "minor cuts'' and following treatment all students travelled on to the theme park.

North Ayrshire Council described the crash as a "minor accident''.

Ardrossan Academy head teacher Lisa Chalmers said: "Parents should be reassured that pupils have been thoroughly assessed by paramedics and no-one has suffered any serious injuries, although five pupils have received treatment for some minor cuts.

"Although the paramedics made it clear that all pupils were fine to travel on to Alton Towers, we have opted to be cautious and taken the decision that no child would be allowed on any of the rides until we had explicit approval from a parent or immediate family member.

"I would like to thank the pupils and our staff, as well as the paramedics who attended and also the local coach company who stepped in to ensure the children were able to make their way to the park after the accident.

"The spirits of the pupils and staff are high and they are still determined to enjoy the outing.

"New coaches are being provided to bring the pupils home and we expect the return arrangements to remain the same.''