SCHOOL children in North Petherton will have to walk more than two miles and cross the busy Huntworth roundabout to get to Robert Blake Science College after Somerset County Council deemed the route to be safe.

The law states that a bus must be provided for children aged eight and over who live more than three miles away from the school.

Following completion of major roadworks between North Petherton and Bridgwater, Somerset County Council has re-measured the home-to-school distance for every child in the village.

Since September 2015, a bus had been put on for children from North Petherton within the statutory walking distance due to the danger of the road.

The council now say the route has been reassessed, and as it has been is deemed safe, free school transport will be withdrawn from those living within three miles of the school from Easter.

However angry parents said they are concerned for their children's safety now they will have to cross the busy Huntworth Roundabout.

Parent Maxine Dyer said: "First and foremost this is a safety issue and I know many parents are worried.

"You could have 80 or so children, some as young as 12, walking on narrow pavement in North Petherton before having to cross Huntworth roundabout which is extremely busy.

"There is a lot of talk about being environmentally friendly from the council, but losing the bus could potentially lead to another 50 cars or so on the road which will only add to congestion – and it will only get worse with Hinkley traffic."

Somerset County Council say a new footpath and cycleway and signals at the Huntworth Roundabout have been installed in response to concerns about pedestrian safety. 

The works finished in December 2016 and a formal route assessment has now found the route to be safe and appropriate.

The assessment included several walks of the route and analysis of data relating to traffic flow and accidents.

It also took into account a safety audit of other highways works in the area.

As the route has been assessed as safe for children to walk, temporary free school transport from North Petherton to the Robert Blake Science College in Bridgwater will end at Easter.

Councillor Frances Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said: “We take the safety of school children very seriously and put a temporary free bus service in place because the A38 works made the route unsafe.

“This was always temporary and now that the work is finished and the route assessed as safe, this service will come to an end. The children who used the temporary free transport will either now walk or cycle to school, or their parents will have to make alternative arrangements. 

“The County Council always give at least half a term’s notice of a change like this, and in this case the notice period is far longer, so I hope the Easter deadline gives parents plenty time to decide on their future plans.

“All local authorities have a policy for when free school transport is available and to be fair to everyone we have to implement our policy consistently across the county.”

The council’s school transport policy, as required by Government, states that free transport to secondary schools is only available if the school is more than three miles away.

The free service that was in place before for children living more than three miles from the school continues. Spare seats on that service are offered for sale on a first come first served basis to children who live closer to the school.