BUSES transporting primary school children in the Darlington area will all have seatbelts next year following a parents' boycott.

Some parents with children at Hurworth Primary School, near Darlington, have banned them from travelling on school outings because not all the borough council's contracted buses have belts.

This means that youngsters have been missing out on weekly swimming lessons at the Dolphin Centre.

Sharon Manfield, of Hurworth, has taken her daughter Michaela, ten, out of the swimming lessons because she fears for her safety.

"I was not sure how safe she would be so I had to insist she didn't go swimming," she said.

"It means she has to miss out on a class she wants to join in, but I would rather take her swimming myself. Obviously her safety comes first.

"It's OK for adults - they can make their own decisions about travelling on a bus without a seatbelt - but children can't."

A spokeswoman for the council said that new minibuses and coaches had to have seatbelts by law, but this did not apply to existing vehicles.

But, she went on to stress that from next September all council vehicles used by primary school children would have seatbelts.

She said: "We are aware of parents' concerns and there has been a change in policy.

"The contract for the Hurworth bus is up in two terms and a new bus with seatbelts will be signed up."

The move by Darlington council follows The Northern Echo's School Seatbelt Scandal campaign, which was launched last year.

Following the campaign, only two councils in the North-East and North Yorkshire have failed to sign up to ensure all new contracts for vehicles for young children would have seatbelts