A 14-year-old girl travelling alone by public transport for the first time was left by the side of the A1 by the driver after she accidentally took the wrong bus.

The girl's mother said her daughter was shouted at by the driver before being left on the motorway near Scotch Corner.

Now an internal investigation is underway at Arriva after she made an official complaint to the bus company.

The girl caught the number 12 bus from Darlington to Hurworth, but accidentally caught the 12 bus going in the opposite direction, to Richmond.

Her mother said: "Her brother had showed her where the bus stop was before she had to catch it, but she accidentally got on the wrong one. I got a text message from her saying 'help me'. She said to the driver she needed to go to Hurworth but he said, this is going to Richmond. I was on the phone to her at the time and I could hear him. He was being really nasty. I told her to ask him if she could stay on the bus until it turned round and came back to Darlington and Hurworth because at least she would have been safe.

"But he shot her off the bus just off the motorway near Scotch Corner. She didn't have a clue where she was and couldn't describe any landmarks to me. Fortunately she walked along the road until she got to the Holiday Inn and then we worked out where she was. Anything could have happened to her. I left work to go and get her and she was hysterical.

"The driver didn't even tell her where she was when he told her to get off the bus. I can't believe he dumped a 14-year-old girl at the side of the road near a motorway. Luckily she had her phone, and it was charged up, but she had to cross a really busy road to get to the Holiday Inn."

An Arriva spokeswoman said: "We expect the highest standard of public service from our bus drivers and all complaints about our drivers or routes are taken very seriously. We’re concerned to hear about this situation and can confirm that an internal investigation is underway."