PARENTS in Belstone claim the safety of their children is being compromised in order to reduce school transport costs to Devon County Council.

The council has identified a walk to school route for children who live inside the three- mile boundary to Okehampton College which cuts through the centre of the village.

Parent Zoe Hague said:?'On one side the children are provided with free school transport and just metres away we are told that our children can walk a route which the county council has declared safe.'

Her son, aged 11, is due to start at Okehampton College in September, and along with a friend who lives just a few doors away, will be affected by this decision.

Mrs Hague said:?'For the first two miles this is a single track, unlit country lane, with blind corners and high hedges. In many places there is simply nowhere for pedestrians to go if suddenly confronted with oncoming vehicles.'

Mrs Hague said there were no pavements and anyone walking this 60mph route was in danger.

'On Dartmoor we frequently experience high winds, fog, mist and driving rain. This further hamper visibility and makes it difficult for pedestrians to anticipate approaching traffic. For three to four months of the year this route will need to be walked in partial or complete darkness.'

Mrs Hague said that on the one hand they were being suffocated with health and safety warnings everywhere they went, but in this case the safety of their children was being compromised in order to reduce transport costs to the county council.

'Sadly, many of our children may need to walk this route as many of the parents involved cannot change their working hours to accommodate a school run into the centre of Okehampton during rush hour traffic.

'Presumably, the county council may only accept that this route is unsafe as and when one of our children is involved in an accident on this hazardous route.'

A Devon County Council spokesman said: 'We regularly review our measurements of distance for school transport and our systems have become increasingly sophisticated.

'In this case the families were given more notice than is required and a subsequent appeal was turned down by an appeal committee.

'We always take the child's safety into account and two experienced officers have walked the route from the home addresses to the school and found it to be safe for a child to walk, accompanied by an adult if necessary.'

The parents, say the council, are entitled to appeal and their case will be heard by elected members on the School Transport Appeals Panel.