School bus catches fire in Bury St Edmunds Published duration 13 June 2019

media caption Children were evacuated from the bus

More than 50 Cambridge children on a school trip escaped from a double-decker bus which caught fire.

The blaze broke out at the back of the vehicle on the A1101 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk at about 10:20 BST.

Collins Coaches, which owns the bus, said 53 children and 14 adults were safely taken off, and there were no injuries.

Witness Sean Hale said: "The tyres exploded in the fire and you could see all the diesel spilling out."

Firefighters said the children and teachers were given shelter nearby and a replacement bus was arranged.

Six asthmatic children were checked over by paramedics, the fire service added.

image copyright Suffolk Fire and Rescue image caption No-one on the bus was hurt, the fire service said

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said about 300 litres of diesel had been drained from the bus into a ditch and the Environment Agency had been informed.

A spokesman for Collins Coaches said: "When the fire was spotted, the driver pulled over and all passengers were safely evacuated.

"We are co-operating with the fire service investigation."

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said: "We are aware that there was a fire on a coach carrying children from Milton Road Primary School to Lackford Lakes near Bury St Edmunds.

"There were no injuries and all the children were evacuated safely and another coach was sent to take the children back to school."