Parents of pupils injured in a bus crash which killed a 12-year-old boy in south Wales have vowed to sue if they are not happy with the result of a police investigation.

Dr Chris Howard, who is head teacher of Lewis Comprehensive School in Pengam, near Bargoed, said he and fellow parents would consider taking civil action against Vale of Glamorgan County Borough Council if they were not satisfied.

I am conscious of the fact that I am a traumatised parent, but also I have a public duty

Dr Chris Howard

He has already written to the local authority asking for details of an inquiry into the tragedy to be made public.

Dr Howard was relieved when his daughter Bethan received only minor injuries in the accident which killed Stuart Rhys Cunningham-Jones on Tuesday.

But he said parents had to be confident that their children were safe when they put them on the school bus, and the ageing rules governing pupil transport had to be overhauled.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Dr Howard said his daughter was recovering well after the crash, but the incident had affected the whole family.

"Bethan is physically okay, but mentally there are severe scars, which will take a great deal of time to heal," he said.

Stuart Rhys Cunningham-Jones died in the crash

"What concerns me is that at sometime, we will have to put her back on a bus and she maybe asked to get on a service double decker, compete for a place to sit or have to sit upstairs."

Dr Howard said he wanted a meeting with education and transport chiefs in the Vale of Glamorgan.

"I am conscious of the fact that I am a traumatised parent, but also I have a public duty," he said.

"We have to talk about the level of provision on bus routes, and a public debate has to be held about what the true cost of running these buses is.

Challenge

"When I saw my daughter crying for the umpteenth time last night, I wondered who is voicing the children's concerns?

"Politicians can respond by changing the law. If it has to be challenged through the courts then so be it."

Dr Howard told fellow members of the National Association of Headteachers Cymru in mid Wales on Thursday that he believed laws governing school transport had to be amended.

There has been growing concern about the lack of supervision on school runs since the crash, which happened near Ystradowen, Cowbridge, along with calls for the UK Government to conduct a complete review of pupil transport.

Pupils on the bus have been questioned

The driver of the bus was interviewed on Wednesday, but he has been too distressed to return to work. Pupils who were on board were also questioned.

Police investigating the fatal crash have revealed that they are looking into claims that "horseplay" could have distracted the driver.

South Wales Police said the reports would be followed up as part of the inquiry into the accident which killed Stuart and injured 10 others pupils at Cowbridge Comprehensive School.

They confirmed the bus was not overcrowded, and that it was in a "satisfactory, roadworthy condition".

Stuart's parents, Joanne and David paid tribute to their son on Wednesday, calling him a bright, happy and contented boy, and a credit to his family.

The double-decker service bus plunged off a narrow humpback bridge and hit a tree as it travelled on the A4222 from Cowbridge through Ystradowen, south Wales at 1530 GMT on Tuesday.

Around 75 pupils were travelling on the bus, which was not fitted with seatbelts, and there were reports that some children were sitting three to a seat.