A BUS driver was forced to stop his vehicle after school pupils set fire to paper onboard.

The Number 30 Arriva bus service in Darlington was carrying about 15 pupils from Hummersknott School and Language College when the incident happened yesterday, at about 4pm.

The driver stopped the bus in Coniscliffe Road, near Greenmount Road, because he considered it too dangerous to continue after noticing youngsters setting fire to paper at the back.

He contacted his bosses at Arriva, who attended the incident, as well as the police.

Inspector Bill Bentham said: "It appears a boy has struck a match and then set fire to the rest of the box of matches. He then seems to have put it out and there was no damage to the bus."

No one at Arriva was available for comment last night.