A bus on a morning school run had to be evacuated after it almost fell on its side.

The Stagecoach 2A bus, which was en route from Ashford to Homewood School, in Tenterden, ended up in a ditch after the driver was forced to swerve to avoid hitting a car travelling in the opposite direction.

The driver moved the double-decker bus to the edge of the road, but it slid on a verge and reportedly almost fell on its side.

The mother of one of the pupils on the bus said it was only saved from falling by a telegraph pole, which kept it upright.

The incident happened along Bethersden Road, in Woodchurch at around 8am on Tuesday.

Police were called to the scene and remained there until the bus was removed three hours later.

“Safety is our absolute priority and we will carry out a full investigation into this incident.”

The mother added that two children were slightly hurt in the incident, with one hitting her head and another falling off a seat, although no one needed to go to hospital.

Stagecoach – which is now investigating the incident – ordered a replacement bus to pick up the pupils and take them to school.

A Stagecoach spokeswoman said: “At around 8.05am on Tuesday the driver of one of our vehicles was forced to take evasive action to prevent a potential collision with a third party vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.

“The driver positioned the bus towards the edge of the road, However, it slid on the verge beside the road and came to a halt there.

“The vehicle remained upright at all times and no passengers reported being injured following the incident.

“Safety is our absolute priority and we will carry out a full investigation into this incident.”

Bethersden Road was blocked by the bus for several hours until it could be towed away.