A grandmother has criticised a school and bus company after a bus was too full to take pupils home.

Year 8 Hedingham School pupil Harry Summers presumed he had been left at the school gate with no money after the route 89 Hedingham bus was too full to take him to his home in Halstead.

The pupil, who has a free bus pass, was left with a group of four other children who were also unable to make it on.

Harry believed the bus ran once an hour at 3.30pm and did not make it home until about 5pm on Tuesday.

Grandmother Eileen Staples said: “My grandson got left behind with other pupils who he didn’t know.

“My daughter, Wendy, was working so she couldn’t get there and her friend came from Braintree to get him.”

Unable to leave work Harry’s mum, Wendy Summers, frantically posted a plea for help on Facebook and a friend went from Braintree to collect him.

The school, in Sible Hedingham, is on the 89 Hedingham route and is timetabled to stop at 3.30pm and 4.50pm.

Bus operator Hedingham said it put on a second stop at 3.50pm because of an additional number of pupils.

Ms Staples said: “It could happen again. He’s gone to school as normal but he can’t get on knowing he could be left again.

“When they were little they always went back to the school office but he was just left at the gate.

“He didn’t have any money on him because the bus pass is paid for and his lunch money goes into an account.

“You expect them to be able to get on the bus.

“They are having trouble getting on in the morning and now he could be coming home in the dark.”

A spokesman for Hedingham Omnibuses said: “We have worked with the school to advise pupils of the additional bus we are running, as extra demand this year means not everyone can fit on one bus. We are sorry that this child was not aware”.

Over the summer Hedingham Omnibus won the home to school transport contract, replacing Turners Essex.

Last week the Gazette reported how since the contract change parents had branded the buses unreliable.

They were concerned about increased fares and buses running up to 30 minutes late.

Headteacher John Panayi said: “Hedingham School is continuing to support parents and students to address difficulties following the change of school bus contractor by Essex County Council.

“We have specifically raised the issue of over-crowding on the 89 service bus with the service provider.

“Hedingham School prioritises student safety and the loading of the school buses is supervised each day by a bus duty team which includes two senior members of staff.

“To ensure this process happens safely each bus has two queues, one boy and one girl.

“Students are then loaded alternating between each queue. Tuesday evening five students were unable to travel as the bus company indicated that the bus was full.

“These students were supervised by a senior member of staff whilst alternative arrangements were made and they were able to wait in a safe place in school until they were able to travel home.

“We share parents’ concerns about the school transport provision and are continuing to seek solutions to this situation.

“This is made more difficult for us as we do not manage or have any control over the transport contract or policies.

“These are the responsibility of Essex County Council.”