PARENTS of 12-year-old twins say the local education authority is discriminating against their children by refusing them bus passes.

Stephen and Sarah Gregory are pupils at St Leonard's RC School, in Durham, and attended one of the comprehensive's Catholic feeder schools. But they have been turned down for free school travel because the 12-year-olds and their parents are not Catholic.

Last year, both the twins secured one of the concessionary bus passes.

Their only route to school from their home in Urpeth Grange, Ouston, is by catching two buses, one to Chester-le-Street and another to Durham. Instead, parents Carol and Paul have to find a member of their family to drive the children to Durham.

Paul said: "With the winter nights rapidly approaching and the shocking events of Jessica and Holly, I ask you would any parent let 12-year-olds travel five miles on public transport these days?"

The Northern Echo recently highlighted the plight of Lauren Loan, 11, from Perkinsville, near Chester-le-Street, who also failed to meet Durham County Council's criteria for a bus pass because although she was Catholic, her parents were not. The council requires at least one parent to be the same faith.

Carol Gregory said a small percentage of pupils accepted at Catholic schools had to be non-Catholic and she was looking into whether the refusal of a pass contravened human rights legislation.

She said: "It all boils down to religion and I think it is discriminatory against non-Catholic people.

"It's not just our children, there are others affected in the same way who have had Catholic education since infants and have not got a pass."

A spokesman for Durham County Council said parents were informed about eligibility for free transport when they looked into sending their child to a secondary school.