SCHOOL pupils returning from a trip to France were shocked to discover the banging on the bottom of their coach was a suspected illegal immigrant.

Quick-thinking staff from Hummersknott School, in Darlington, heard the noise and called police, who told them to keep driving around London until they could meet the coach and arrest the man, who was clinging on for dear life.

Teachers calmed down the worried students, aged 11 to 13, by starting a 20-minute sing-along of tunes including Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and If You’re Happy and You Know It.

The staff and the coach driver have been praised for their professionalism, with parents also thanking the school for the way the incident was handled.

Head of the trip Samantha Bainbridge said it did not take the gloss off a “fantastic trip”, adding: “The staff, and especially the driver, handled the situation with professionalism and sensitivity, ensuring that all correct procedures were followed.

“The children were an absolute credit to us, I’m immensely proud of them.”

The drama unfolded last Wednesday, during a weeklong trip to Paris and London.

The group of 53, including 47 children, three teachers, a retired teacher and two former students, had travelled through the Channel Tunnel and more than 60 miles to the they heard the banging.

Staff called 999, while the driver – a retired teacher – continued on to prevent the man from jumping off and disappearing.

The coach was nearing its final destination at Bromley, in Kent, but instead headed towards Lewisham police station.

However, the coach’s satellite navigation system took them down roads too narrow for the vehicle, so the driver met up with patrol cars.

When police arrived, they found the man hanging on to the rear axle of the vehicle.

Hummersknott headteacher Pat Howarth said: “There was no contact between the students and (the man) and there wasn’t any danger to the pupils.

“I have to thank the staff for the utmost professionalism they showed during the incident.”

Despite the incident, the tour continued to London for two days before returning to Darlington late on Friday.

It is not known when the man climbed onto the undercarriage of the 53-seater coach.

Both Mr Howarth and Barbara Bruce, a partner of Darlington company Enterprise Travel, which provided the coach, said the vehicle was checked by the driver and a teacher as part of an industrywide code of practice before they left France.

Mrs Bruce said: “The situation couldn’t have been handled any better by our driver, who we are extremely proud of, and by the school staff.

“They handled it beautifully and I’d like to praise all their professionalism.”