A MOTHER has branded a school bus service a disgrace after it was revealed that pupils were literally playing with fire on their way home from school.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions on her two daughters, said she was concerned about certain activities she believed were taking place on the Northern Blue bus -- including suggestions that children were spraying deodorant on their hands and setting it alight.

The service picks up high school children from Todmorden and takes them to both St Hilda's and St Theodore's schools in Burnley in the morning and takes them back home at the end of the day.

Her two daughters use the bus to get to school from Cornholme and she said she has spoken to several people who have had complaints about the service.

She said: "One of my daughters has been travelling to St Hilda's for four years and the other for nearly 12 months. Ever since the first one started it's been horrendous.

"We have been in touch with the headteachers of the two schools who did listen to us and I also rang Northern Blue but they didn't want to know.

"Apparently some of the kids are spraying deodorant on their hands and setting it alight. It only takes a split second or a jerk of the bus and anything could happen. A daughter of one of my friends travels on the same bus and she heard that some of the pupils had pen knives.

"These are just some of the incidents I have been told about. It's just not good enough and something needs to be done to stop it and make it safer."

But headteacher at St Hilda's, Miss Bernadette Bleasdale, said both St Hilda's and St Theodore's had investigated the complaint and she did not think it was a major issue.

She said: "We had an anonymous phone call from a parent who refused to give her name. From that I spoke to some of the older girls who travel on the bus, including prefects, and asked them if there had been any problems and passed on the parent's comments.

"They said they didn't know about anything but that it could have been the boys so I have been in touch with the headteacher at St Theodore's who is also looking into it. If she wants to ring back and give me her name or write me a letter she is more than welcome.

"It is difficult to act on something where you do not have specific details."

Michael Robinson, of Northern Blue buses, based in Plumbe Street, said: "We have not had any reports of incidents like the ones described, but if we did we would stamp it out straightaway, if necessary by involving the police."