A MOTHER wants a school bus service restarted after her 14-year-old son was injured when his bicycle collided with a van.

Christopher Currey used to take the free bus service provided by the council from his home in Bulwark to Chepstow Comprehensive, in Welsh Street.

But the buses were stopped on Wednesday after Monmouthshire county council decided the previously unsafe walking route was now safe enough to use.

Christopher used the bus when he couldn't ride his bike, and his mother, Pamela Dumayne, said she believed the accident proved the route was still not safe enough for cyclists and pedestrians because of the extra cars.

Christopher was cycling down Welsh Street from the school at around 3.20pm on Tuesday, when he was in a collision with a white transit van next to the Dell Primary School.

He was helped up by a passer-by, and suffered grazing and bruising, and was later taken to the community hospital.

Mrs Dumayne said: "He was terribly shaken up, and it was an ordeal for us. To me this proves how unsafe it is for children along that route. I didn't want him to ride his bike anyway before, and now I'm even more worried because there is more traffic. They need to keep this bus service going."

Parents have staged protests against the buses stopping, and are holding meetings to discuss how to keep them going.

Peter Fox, the council cabinet member for education, has said they have to follow the policy precedent, which states that free buses are only provided for children living less than two miles from school if the walking route is deemed unsafe by officers. When lighting was installed in a subway tunnel, the route was assessed as safe.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "A 14-year-old boy was knocked off his bike by a white transit van. We would appeal for the woman who helped him up, and the driver of the van, to call police on 01633 838111."