A HASLEMERE woman is accusing travel company Stagecoach of Òdisgraceful treatmentÓ after her five-year-old twins narrowly escaped injury when the bus they were travelling in was involved in an horrific collision.

Clare MacFarlane was sitting on the top deck of the number 19 Stagecoach bus with her sons George and Iain when it collided with Fosters Bridge near Haslemere station on Monday morning.

The family were showered with glass and debris when the roof of the bus was ripped off as it passed under the railway bridge.

ÒIt was terrifying,Ó she said. ÒThe boys were so frightened they were crying and glass was raining down on us.

ÒThe driver just carried on going. I thought he was going to stop as soon as we had hit the bridge, but we didnÕt stop until we had passed all the way under it. It was like a nightmare.Ó

Incredibly, the three escaped uninjured, but another woman, who was also sitting on the top deck with her two children, was rushed to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford when the ambulance crew suspected she had glass in one of her eyes.

Graham Harmer, operations manager for Stagecoach, said on Tuesday that the driver, who had been with the firm for 18 months, had been suspended until a full investigation had been completed. And on Wednesday he confirmed that he had been dismissed.

He said he was unable to confirm a rumour that the driver had been involved in a similar collision at Fosters Bridge.

Soon after the incident, a shocked and trembling Mrs MacFarlane told The Herald: ÒLooking at the bus itÕs just amazing that we are all ok. I canÕt believe it.Ó

Railtrack was immediately alerted by the emergency services and sent personnel to make safety checks on the bridge.

Trains were prevented from crossing the bridge from around 10-50 am, but a spokesman told The Herald the inspection showed Òno significant damageÓ had been caused and services resumed by 11-30am.

As the debris was cleared from under the bridge, traffic chaos ensued along Wey Hill and Lower Street. Passengers from the number 19 service, which travels to Aldershot via Farnham, were given alternative transport arrangements but many, like Mrs MacFarlane, chose to be picked up by family and friends, or to walk.

After reassuring her children and helping them to recover from the shock, Mrs MacFarlane received a visit later that day from two representatives of Stagecoach. They visited her Shottermill home to take a statement about the crash.

But Mrs MacFarlane claims the representatives did not inquire how she and her sons were feeling, and did not apologise about the incident.

ÒI think we received absolutely disgraceful treatment. The two men just came round, asked us what happened, without even thinking to say sorry or ask how we were. They didnÕt even offer a refund on our tickets,Ó said an angry Mrs MacFarlane.

She telephoned the local Stagecoach offices in Aldershot, and claims the person she spoke to failed again to inquire about her familyÕs wellbeing.

ÒAlthough the woman on the phone apologised about the way we had been treated, she did not apologise about the incident itself. And again, did not ask how we were,Ó claims Mrs MacFarlane.

With the school holidays just beginning, Mrs MacFarlane says she will have a difficult time trying to arrange other trips for her sons.

On Tuesday, she said: ÒI think the boys are still in shock about the crash. They are too frightened to get on another bus, and it will be a very long time before we will feel able to sit on the top deck.

ÒIt just keeps on going through our minds,Ó she added.

Mr Harmer said he thought the accident had happened because the bus had not been travelling through the centre of the bridge.

ÒObviously, customer safety is our paramount concern. We apologise to everyone affected by this incident. We will be looking into measures which could prevent this from happening again,Ó Mr Harmer stated.

Among the measures to be investigated are the use of single decker buses on the number 19 route, the possible installation of a height detector on the bridge, which bleeps if a vehicle gives it insufficient clearance, and also consultation with Surrey County Council about installing traffic lights so one direction of traffic at a time flows through the bridge.

Mrs MacFarlane said she would be writing to Stagecoach to express her feelings about the incident.