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The driver of a National Express coach swore and threatened his passengers in a journey from hell, a passenger has claimed.

The Totnes-bound coach arrived in Exeter at 1.32am on Sunday - more than two hours late - following a bizarre trip which she says took them on several detours and involved two emergency stops - all while a furious driver berated them with foul-mouthed tirades.

Former deputy head teacher Beth Lees, 50, was one of the those onboard. She was on a journey from Heathrow, after a holiday in Athens, to her home in Exeter.

Mrs Lees says the problems began immediately, when the 7.55pm 501 service from Heathrow bus station to Totnes turned up more than an hour late.

"You could just tell [the driver] was not happy right away," she explained, "He was hacked off. Early on he moaned at a passenger for getting something out of their bag.

"The coach was also freezing. I had to cover myself with clothes from my bag just to keep warm. There was a man in a wheelchair, with additional needs, and elderly passengers so I was really feeling for them.

"When we reached the Bristol area of the M5 we could tell that the M5 was shut southbound for roadworks and the driver started following the diversion.

"He got lost and began moaning and complaining."

(Image: Beth Lees)

After roaming pitch-black countryside roads passengers began, politely, offering to help the driver navigate.

Those who had offered to help were soon left shell shocked by "an hour and a half of abuse."

"He was saying 'f***ing shut up,' 'don't f***ing tell me how to do my job', 'f***ing walk - all while we were politely asking why one of us could not sit with him to divert him back to the M5.

"He also said: 'Don't tell me how to do my f***ing job it's my f***ing coach."

Passengers noticed, using the location apps on their mobile phones, that the coach was heading in the opposite direction: Towards Glastonbury.

"It was past midnight at that point. I was talking to my husband on messenger and I wanted him to call the police.

"A European lad kept asking him to let passengers help him and he pulled over in the middle of nowhere and told him: 'Get the f**k off my coach - don't talk to me like that.'

"He did not get off the coach.

"It was a farce. We ended up back on the motorway behind the roadworks that we had been diverted away from.

"We then drove into car park up to cul-de-sac – had to do u-turn – before driving past the same Travelodge twice."

Hours into the hellish journey an alarm began to sound on the driver's dashboard.

The loud beeping noise seemingly signalling that the coach was running out of petrol.

(Image: Beth Lees)

"He put the brakes on again, swerved the coach onto the hard shoulder and Junction 30 (Exeter) was directly in front of us. We could see it.

"He turned off the engine and said: "which one of you is going to f**ing complain about me" before giving us his name and details. He got his name badge and was shoving it in our faces."

When the coach arrived at Sowton Park & Ride a replacement bus driver was waiting for them.

"The poor man didn't know what hit him when we got off. The passengers were absolutely fuming," she added,

"It was disgusting. National Express has told me he has been suspended pending an investigation.

"I was most angry with the fact that there was a man with additional needs, elderly passengers and many European passengers who didn't speak English.

"I would have been terrified if that had been myself abroad.

"It just escalated. I would've bit the hand off somebody who offered me help if I had been in his position.

"I've never known anything like it: The swearing, the ejecting of the passenger, the emergency stops. It was a catalogue of disasters and he just didn't care."

A spokesperson for National Express said it was "concerned to hear the complaints and was investigating them as a priority."

It added that "all reports of unacceptable behaviour were taken very seriously."