Several students were left stranded outside a Flintshire high school after a public bus failed to stop for them. 

Ann Chapman, guardian for two Mold Alun students from Leeswood, fears for the coming winter months as the children in her care, age 14 and age 12, were two of over 15 students left outside the school on Monday afternoon (October 10). 

According to Miss Chapman, the Arriva 27 bus, which travels from Mold to Wrexham, drove past the students forcing them, some as young as 11, to wait over an hour for the next bus. 

Miss Chapman, 65, said: "It's ridiculous, and puts a lot of stress on me and the children as they don't have phones and I can't drive.

"With winter coming what will they do for an hour, stand in the cold waiting?"

Students from Leeswood are not eligible for free school transport to Mold Alun High School as the village is 0.7 miles closer to Castell Alun High School, based in Hope. 

Several students from the area take the 27 Arriva bus, however, Miss Chapman says that on several occasions this bus has been too full and the children have no way of getting to school on time. 

She added: "It makes them nervous about being late for school which is an added pressure to their day."

Flintshire’s Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation, Katie Wilby, said: “Flintshire County Council has been advised that the Arriva service 27 did not serve Mold Campus on Monday afternoon.

"The Service 27 is a commercial bus service and is not controlled by the council; however, we have contacted Arriva to ascertain why the service did not stop for passengers at the campus.

“Following concerns raised at the start of the new school term in relation to available capacity on the service, the council has provided separate, alternative transport for eligible pupils, which has released more seating capacity on the commercial bus service.

"We are continuing to monitor transport arrangements at the school and have not been made aware of any further concerns regarding available capacity.”

Arriva is one of the leading providers of passenger transport in the UK and Europe and operates across parts of Flintshire and Wrexham. 

An Arriva spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to service 27 not serving the Mold Campus on Monday and we have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again in the future."

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