SCHOOLCHILDREN had to be evacuated from a bus after it caught fire on the A377, near Lapford Cross Industrial Estate, at about 4.20pm on Wednesday, October 16.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the female driver of the bus realised there was a problem and pulled the vehicle over into a layby after she stopped and evacuated the children.

She contacted emergency services and fire crews from Crediton and North Tawton were sent to the scene.

Firefighters used two hose reel jets to put out the fire, which crews confirmed they got under control within an hour.

Fire chiefs said the blaze was out by 5.30pm.

The bus, from Beacon Buses, was severely damaged by the fire.

Police confirmed nobody was injured in the incident and said all the schoolchildren and the driver had safely got off the vehicle before the situation worsened.

Officers said the cause of the fire was believed to be accidental and it is thought to be down to a mechanical fault in the engine or an electrical fault.

The road was closed between Lapford and Morchard Road to enable debris to be cleared from the road and enable the recovery of the bus.

Passengers were collected from the scene by another bus which had been following the regular service bus and that bus safely transported the people to their destination.