Schoolchildren coming back from swimming class injured after bus ploughs into low bridge

Several schoolchildren sitting in the top deck of a school bus have been injured after it collided with a bridge in Lancashire.

Thirty children were on the way back from a swimming class when a double-decker had its roof ripped off in Spendmore Lane in Coppull at 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Police said ‘a number of children suffered injuries which are thankfully thought to be relatively minor at this time’.

Rebecca from Morris Quality Bakers said that a witness burst into her reception telling her there had been an accident.

She told Metro: ‘I think he was a member of the public asking if we could take the children in because there being an accident at a low bridge right outside the bakery.

‘So I said, of course, we brought the whole class in about 20 of them and put them upstairs in the boardroom. We gave them cookies and something to eat.

‘The worst injuries were scratches. There were a few that were upset, obviously a little bit shaken, but the majority thought it was a big adventure. Well, I think that was mostly the boys, to be honest. I think they were very lucky.’

She said some parents who came to pick them up were extremely grateful and some other kids ‘who bounced back quick’ just got on the next bus.

The receptionist said: ‘We’re just glad everyone’s ok and hope they get some TLC tonight. Some of them won’t need their tea tonight – they ate quite a lot.’

She said buses go down that road all the time but never double-deckers.

In a post on X, Lancashire police said: ‘We want to update you and let you know that Spendmore Lane is currently closed from the junction of Lancaster Street to Regent Street to due to a road traffic collision.

‘We anticipate that the road will be closed for some time, whilst we assess the situation.

‘In the meantime, we’d recommend looking for an alternative route and driving carefully, leaving plenty of extra time to get to your destination.

‘We’ll keep tabs on what’s happening and we’ll update you here once the road is open. As always, thank you for your patience and stay safe if you’re out and about today.’ 

This is a breaking news story… More to follow.