THE parents of an 11-year-old girl say she is being forced to walk three miles to and from school every day.

Charlie Fenech has been told there is no room on the school bus from her home in Norton Fitzwarren, to the Taunton Academy, off Cheddon Road, Taunton.

Her mother, Clare, says her offer to pay so her daughter could have one of the empty seats on the bus was declined.

The county council says Charlie lives too near to her school for a free bus place, although a seat may become available later. It has advised the family it can appeal on safety grounds.

Children at secondary school must live at least three miles from their school for free transport.

Mrs Fenech said she does not allow Charlie to walk the 2.7-mile most direct route via Corkscrew Lane, Staplegrove, as it is dangerous, with no pavements part of the way.

"She goes another route which is probably three miles," said Mrs Fenech.

"It's a long way for a young girl to walk with her school stuff and PE bag.

"At the moment the weather's lovely, but the mornings are getting darker, it will get colder - and what if it's raining heavily?"

When she offered to pay for a seat on the bus, she was told spare spaces were being held in case they are required by children from families on income support, who do not have to pay if they live two miles or more from their school.

"That's discrimination - how can your income make a difference to the length of your child's walk to school?" said Mrs Fenech, who works in Avonmouth.

"My husband and I can't drive Charlie to and from school because of work commitments and she's not got enough confidence to go in a taxi with a stranger."

A county council spokesman confirmed the three-mile rule and said the low income family rules are in line with national guidelines.

She added: "We do sell spare seats on school buses to children who aren't eligible for free school transport.

"However, at the start of the school year we don’t sell the spare seats straightaway as we're aware eligible children are still applying for school transport.

"Applications for paid seats are added to a waiting list and parents will be notified when a seat becomes available.

“We have explained our school transport policy to the parents and we have advised them that there is a public bus that runs through Norton Fitzwarren and stops close the school.

"We have also advised them that they can make an appeal on the grounds of safety of the route walked by the child. This may lead to a reassessment and re-measurement of the walking route.”