NORTH Petherton parents are continuing their fight to save a school bus service set to end at Easter.

Parents and children walked the route from North Petherton to Robert Blake Science College that has been deemed safe by Somerset County Council following the completion of works at Huntworth Roundabout.

Around 80 students are expected to be affected when the bus is removed and parents and the North Petherton Town Council say the route is not safe.

Mother Donna Parker, who helped organise the protest march, said: "If you have 70 or 80 young people walking this route there is bound to be an incident.

"These are young children being asked to cross busy main roads with HGVs going past, it is dangerous and we are worried about their safety."

The parents and council's appeal is now at the second stage, with a decision due just one day before the bus is due to be removed.

North Petherton Cllr Bill Revans, who took part in Thursday's walk, said: "The town council is backing this campaign and supporting the parents.

"We are walking this route today to highlight the issues with safety and hope the County Council will see sense."

Labour County Council candidates Jane Grenfell walked the route to experience first hand what it was like.

Mrs Grenfell said: “Issues include narrow pavements, a lack of safe crossing points, huge lorries thundering past and crossing the Huntworth Junction 24 roundabout, just to mention a few of the hazards.

"It is unacceptable that parents are confronted with the choice of paying almost £700 in fares or allowing their children to walk on a route that is clearly unsafe. The route takes almost an hour.

"Surely we want our children to arrive at school ready to learn, not tired from a three mile walk or worse injured .This is the result of Tory austerity – right here in North Petherton – an ideological choice that is prepared to put our children at risk.”

Cllr Frances Nicholson, cabinet member for children and families for Somerset County Council 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.”