IMPERIAL Buses is due to quit the Ongar to Brentwood school service next month because of some pupils' "atrocious" behaviour, driving the service into the ground.

Essex County Council will tender for a replacement company to take over the A1032 route, although Imperial Buses director Nick Badell doubts that will be so easy.

He said: "The council is really struggling because there aren't the people who want to take 60 to 70 kids out, because of the bad behaviour. They're smoking, swearing, throwing bottles and coins out the windows onto passing cars and drivers just won't put up with it.

"Drivers have left because of the abuse. They'd rather drive buses in Brixton than take Brentwood kids out. I wouldn't let my kids go on that bus, they're really atrocious."

Mr Badell said Imperial Buses looked forward to terminating the contract for the school run, stating that so few drivers would work the route that Imperial had to pay them more to do it and it was simply not feasible for them.

A flood of complaints by parents have dogged the Ongar to Brentwood service for years centred on frequent delays, "dilapidated" buses and lack of supervision, landing the children in a responsibility "no-man's land".

Tina Dulieu, of Glebe Road, had to collect her son Richard, who had been stranded by a broken down A1032 bus on the first day of his GCSEs, from Pilgrims Hatch.

She said: "He called at 8.20am and the exam was at 9am. I picked him up but supposing I hadn't been there, he would have missed his GCSE exam which he's been working two years for. It wasn't a good way to start his GCSEs and this whole scenario has been going on for years now."

Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I have four children and there's been ongoing problems with the buses. They break down, the back seats smoke and water runs down the aisle when it rains.

"In Ongar we don't have a choice because there's no local school. If you work you can't always drive them, public transport's quite expensive or there's the rickety old school bus."

A council spokesman said: "There are so many schools in such a small area, problems are bound to happen. Unfortunately, we can't resource supervision on buses. We'd rather go straight to the source of the problem."

The council aims to tackle unruly behaviour by sending drama groups into schools to highlight issues and by giving bus drivers video training on how to deal with yobbish youths.