TEN youngsters were hurt when the coach they were travelling was involved in an accident on the A2070 Ashford to Brenzett road.

The coach, carrying around 40 school children and about six teachers, was in a head on collision with a Saab, at about 3pm on Friday afternoon.

The coach was forced to swerve off the road and landed on an embankment, with children from the Hunton primary school, near Yalding, suffering neck, back and whiplash type injuries.

The driver of the Saab and his wife were trapped in their car for one hour and were eventually freed by firemen who had to cut the roof off the vehicle.

The pair, both aged in their fifties, were taken to the William Harvey Hospital, but it is not thought their injuries were life threatening.

Eight ambulances and three fire engines, from Ashford, Lydd and New Romney, attended the scene. The Kent Air Ambulance also attended but was not needed.

The car had been travelling towards Lydd and the coach towards Ashford, after the schoolchildren had enjoyed an outing to Dungeness.

Green watch manager Terry Hardy, from Ashford fire station, said the incident could have been a lot worse.

He said: "This accident shows how important it is for school children to wear seat belts on coaches. Because they had these on serious injuries were prevented.

"The coach driver also did well to steer the coach off the road and down an embankment. If the coach had rolled over the consequences don’t bear thinking about. It would have been catastrophic."

The emergency services were at the scene for around three hours. The road was closed in both directions. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.