BEREAVEMENT counsellors are helping friends of two boys who died on the first day of their Easter holidays.

Yesterday, schoolchildren at Longfield Comprehensive, in Darlington, returned to class for the first time since Stuart Adams and Lee Mullis were killed by a train on railway tracks on Good Friday.

It is almost two weeks since the accident, but many of the students at the school are still traumatised.

Some were with the teenagers before they died, and a few witnessed the accident.

Headteacher Keith Cotgrave said yesterday: "There were a lot of heavy hearts this morning.

"Some of them are totally devastated, those who physically witnessed the accident will need months and months of help and support and we are going to offer that through the school."

Four counsellors from Cruse Bereavement Care have been brought in by Darlington Borough Council and several areas of the school have been set aside for children who want to sit and talk.

Counselling is being offered on a group and individual basis.

Yesterday morning, Mr Cotgrave, head of year ten Marjorie Topham and the Reverend Graham Morgan held three remembrance services for Stuart and Lee.

Mr Cotgrave said: "The feeling of the school and the governors is of great sadness, students were encouraged to remember the good things about their friends.

"We talked about remembering everyone involved in the terrible tragedy, relatives, friends, neighbours, medical staff, police officers and especially the train driver."

Stuart, 15, and Lee, 14, were killed on the Five Arches Bridge in Darlington.

Since the accident, the foot of the bridge has become a shrine to the boys, many of their friends have been back to the site every day since their deaths.

Mr Cotgrave said: "We are encouraging people to remember the happy times they enjoyed with their friends and not just how they died.

"The counsellors will be at school for as long as it takes. This was our first morning back with the kids and we don't really know how they are feeling."

Margaret Asquith, director of Children's Services at Darlington council, said: "We recognise that pupils and staff may need support and will be providing the school with that support throughout the coming months."