THE driver of the Bostock Coach refused to allow 12-year-old Chris Johnson to board the vehicle last Friday morning - leaving him cold and alone in the pouring rain.

The Tytherington High School pupil has caught the same bus from the same stop outside his Bollington home every day for the past two years. But the pass he was sent by Cheshire County Council back in September is only valid for a different bus which stops 200 yards away down Wellington Road.

And the driver refused to allow him to join his friends on the double decker, which was not even half full at the time.

His stepfather, Kevin Spencer, works at nearby Heathcote's Butchers and was shocked to see Chris run into the shop at 8.15am "in floods of tears".

"He was traumatised by it and I think he is now very worried he might see that same driver again," Kevin said. "He has had a few problems with him before, but on previous occasions he has managed to get on the bus, albeit after being reprimanded."

After hearing that his son had not been allowed on the bus, Kevin ran out of the store and chased after the vehicle hoping to reason with the driver.

"He was just about to pull out, so I banged on the doors, which he screamed at me for, before eventually opening them," Kevin said. "He was very confrontational and stood up and asked me if I wanted to make any more of it, at which point I just left."

Chris remained off school that day, and Kevin said that he would stay away if the same driver was put back on the route.

He said: "I don't want him walking 200 yards the other way in the pouring rain when there's a stop just outside the house from where he hasn't really had any problems before. It's extremely petty and I would like to know what their policy is about leaving schoolkids out in the rain. If we had worked in Manchester, he would have been stranded.

"If there was a problem, they should have taken him to school and then sorted it out."

Bostock's Coaches said they were investigating the incident, and refused to make any further comment.

A Cheshire County Council spokeswoman said that there were three separate school buses operating on Wellington Road every morning. And to stop overcrowding, the council issues pupils with bus passes relating to one of the three vehicles.

She said: "We had not been informed that this student had the wrong pass for a different bus until now. The issue has been quickly resolved and he has been sent the correct pass by post."