Drivers faced a traffic nightmare last night after a school bus broke down in Ashford.

It is reported that a Poynters coach, transporting children from Homewood School, in Tenterden, to Ashford, came to a halt in Chart Road at around 3.50pm.

The bus, which was full of school children, stopped on the railway bridge just after the Matalan roundabout.

It is believed the reason the bus broke down was because it ran out of petrol.

Bill Barrett, of Flaxpond Road, says he was stuck in the traffic for around 30 minutes.

He said: "I, along with hundreds, if not thousands of users of Chart Road found themselves in another monumental traffic jam that began just before the rush hour.

"What was really upsetting, but all too familiar, was the complete lack of police presence at this broken down bus even though it had been stopped for at least 30 to 40 minutes in a dangerous location causing a traffic jam.

"I passed the bus at 4.30pm after taking a full 40 minutes to navigate the length of the road."

Officers were eventually called to the incident in Chart Road just after 4.30pm.

A spokesman from Kent Police said: "Police were called at 4.40pm about a big red bus causing tailbacks because it had broken down.

"It was all clear by 5pm so no diversion was needed."

Poynters coach service confirmed that it was one of their buses, but added that no parents had complained about the delayed home time.

A spokesman for the company, based in Wye, said: "The bus ran out of fuel. The driver did try to divert the traffic. He also called the police, who turned up 45 minutes later.

"We did not receive any complaints from parents."