THE family of a four-year-old girl have alleged that she and her sister were left to walk home in the bitter cold by a bus driver.

They say four-year-old Sophie Timmins and her 14-year-old sister, Ashleigh, had to walk two miles in sub-zero temperatures after the driver declined to let them on the bus because they had the incorrect fare.

The pair had been into Darlington town centre on Wednesday evening to pick up a prescription for their grandmother, Elizabeth Draper.

They had been expecting to get straight back on the bus with Sophie travelling for free because she was under five.

However, the family say the Arriva driver told them under-fives only travelled for free when accompanied by an adult.

Although a woman on the bus offered to pay for Sophie, she did not have any change, so the two girls walked back in the dark to their grandmother's house in Witton Crescent.

The girls' mother, Amanda Pounder, said: "Ashleigh asked him, 'Does that mean I have to walk back then?' and he ignored her.

"Me and my husband had to look for them in the car. Round here, you do not know what could have happened."

Mrs Pounder said Sophie was shivering and crying when she got in and was so upset she vomited later that evening.

She said: "We were just besides ourselves with worry.

"What they should have done is taken their name and address, or even if he had stopped outside the house, we would have gone out and paid."

Liz Esnouf, Arriva North East's commercial director, said: "Clearly we are very concerned by this allegation and have tried to establish the details with Mrs Pounder.

"We have a policy that no under-16s should be refused travel and have reminded our drivers of this.

"We would like to interview this young girl to see if there is any other help she can give us in identifying the driver so that they can be interviewed."