Coach travel is generally extremely safe, although that's no consolation to those involved in today's accident

Simon Posner, Confederation of Passenger Transport

"In this country we like to have an inquiry and work out exactly what happened before we start throwing any blame around," said the CPT spokesman.

Drivers must take rest breaks by law, so coaches on longer trips have two drivers on board.

Drivers cannot do more than four-and-a-half hours behind the wheel at one stretch without a 45 minute break, and cannot drive for more than 10 hours in one day.

Simon Posner of the CPT said drivers were trained to spot the signs of tiredness and to pull over immediately if they are feeling sleepy.

Digital tacograph

Their hours are also closely monitored by the tachograph - once dubbed the "spy in the cab" by truckers.

This equipment records the numbers of hours that drivers complete and the speed at which they drive.

To make the system even safer, a more sophisticated digital tachograph is being introduced which is even harder to tamper with.

It is also compulsory for British coaches to be fitted with a roll-over bar which strengthens the roof.

Workers clear debris after the bus was righted

Rennies of Dunfermline, which was involved in the French crash on Monday, is one of 1,200 members of the CPT, the national trade association representing UK bus, coach, light rail and metro operators.

All fleets in this country have to undergo more than 700 checks in their annual MoT tests.

In addition, the UK Government's Vehicle Inspectorate carries out spot checks on coaches on a regular basis, both at the roadside and at depots.

"Rules governing coach travel are very tight and coach companies, of course, have their own maintenance teams," said Mr Posner.

"The Rennies company is deeply shocked by today's incident.

'No consolation'

"They have never had anything happen like this before.

"Coach travel is generally extremely safe, although that's no consolation to those involved in today's accident."

Mr Bartlett said long-distance coach trips from Britain to Europe were on the rise, with destinations like France, Italy and Spain becoming more popular.

Asked for a reason, he said: "Coaches are becoming more pleasant to be in for a long period of time, and people have a bit more money and are travelling abroad."