THE parents of three young schoolgirls have been angered by a mix-up that saw a school bus driver drop them miles from their Tadley homes.

Louise Black and twins Rachael and Laura Boyce, who are all in their first year at The Hurst Community College, in Baughurst, were supposed to be dropped by Allens Garage, in Tadley Hill, after netball practice and computer club. But, due to a mix-up about the exact bus route run by Top Travel, the girls missed their stop near the garage.

When they reached the end of the line, in Bramley, the girls said that they told the driver what had happened.

However, the children said the driver told them there was nothing he could do. The girls got off.

Sian Black, Louise's mum, who lives in Gravelly Close, said: "I am very angry. Anything could have happened. My daughter doesn't want to do PE any more. She didn't have a clue where she was going. She was petrified. Fortunately, a Year 11 girl took them back to her house, but my daughter was hysterical."

Louise said: "It was scary getting dropped off and not knowing where we were. If the girl hadn't been there, we would have been stuck there."

Lee Boyce, the twins' dad, had gone out to look for the girls when they did not return to their home in North View Road as expected.

Mr Boyce said: "I won't let them on the bus any more."

Adrian Higgs, account executive for Top Travel, said: "If we are responsible in any way, we apologise.

"It's very distressing to us because it's the first time it's happened in the 40 or so years we've been running.

"If any driver dropped a child and said 'I've finished now so you've got to get off the bus', that would be frowned upon to say the least, but the children were getting off with another girl to go and ring their parents. They weren't stranded."

Malcolm Christian, headteacher at The Hurst Community College, said: "To their credit, Top Travel have come in to school to make sure everybody knows where the stops are."

Since the incident, new timetables have been issued to all parents with a more comprehensive list of drop-off points and times.