The funeral has been held of a boy killed when the double-decker bus carrying him home from school crashed.

Stuart Rhys Cunningham-Jones, 12, died and at least 10 other Cowbridge Comprehensive School pupils were injured when their bus fell down an embankment and hit a tree on 3 December.

Stuart Rhys Cunningham-Jones: Accident victim

An inquest opened on Wednesday could not determine the exact cause of his death without more tests, but heard he was sitting at the front of the top deck.

Teachers and school friends joined Stuart's parents for a funeral service at Holy Cross Church, Cowbridge, on Friday.

The Reverend Richard Spencer said: "We wanted to have a service that reflected some of Stuart's personality and also enable people to grieve, because people will need to grieve."

The inquest has been adjourned until a South Wales Police investigation is complete.

Calls for tighter school bus safety regulations intensified in the wake of the crash.

The accident happened yards from Stuart's home in the village of Ystradowen and shocked the Vale of Glamorgan community.

Safety calls

Dozens of parents pressed the school to draw up a safety plan in a meeting with governors this week.

It is understood questions were asked about alleged overcrowding on school service buses.

Pledges were sought to ensure safety improvements are before the spring term begins.

Current UK law exempts double-decker buses carrying children from installing seatbelts - that rule only applies to coaches and mini-buses used for school journeys.

Mourners at Stuart's funeral

Detectives said the number of passengers on the vehicle - which did not have seatbelts - was 75, which did not exceed the legal limit.

Last week in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his deepest sympathy for Stuart's family.

Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith had asked him whether the UK Government would launch a comprehensive review of the safe transportation of school children.

But Mr Blair said the police inquiry should be allowed to finish its work.