PARENTS have pledged never to back down in their fight against school bus cuts they claim have stranded their children.

Some of Bradon Forest School's pupils face arduous and costly journeys to school because Wiltshire County Council is cutting their places on the school bus. It blames an increase in pupil numbers.

Meanwhile, Swindon Council won't provide transport for any pupils it claims are at Bradon Forest through parental choice rather than being in the catch-ment area.

But many parents say they were simply assigned places at Bradon Forest in the first place.

About a dozen parents met at the school last night to discuss the problem.

There they heard head teacher Len Spiers accuse councillors of all parties of failing to address the crisis properly.

He added: "It's the economics of the madhouse."

The parents resolved to raise the profile of their campaign with letters from them and their children to both councils as well as South Swindon MP Julia Drown.

Both councils were invited to attend last night's meeting in letters dated July 9, but both refused, saying not enough notice had been given.

This drew a contemptuous response from parent Paul Saunders, who lives in Manor Road, Cheney Manor, and whose 14-year-old daughter Amy is in Year 10.

He reserved particular anger for Swindon Council, saying: "I can't understand how they can consistently go away from this issue and how they feel that 'no comment' is a justified answer to a question.

"The reason they are not here is because they do not have an answer they have no reason."

Mr Saunders wondered how many other parents, not just of Bradon Forest pupils but also of children throughout Swindon Borough, were suffering the same concerns.

Those at the meeting spoke of their children being summarily ordered off school buses, and of summer holidays ruined because of worries about travel to school in the new term.

Another parent, Norman Walter, claimed he was told during a county council school bus survey that the aim was simply to make sure there were enough spaces only for the service to be cancelled.