Parents in Watlington face a 12-mile drive to take children to their state school in Henley after a school bus service was withdrawn.

For a number of years, Horseman Coaches, of Reading, has run about 40 pupils from the Watlington area to Gillotts School, in Henley, under a private contract with parents.

The pupils live within the catchment area of Watlington's Icknield Community College, but their parents have opted to send them to the Henley comprehensive instead.

Horseman recently announced it would not renew the school bus contract in September.

The move has left many students stranded, but Oxfordshire County Council said it will not step in to help as there is no reason why the pupils cannot attend the Watlington comprehensive.

It means a long drive for parents when pupils return for the start of the autumn term today.

Gillotts School's transport co-ordinator Roger Pitcher said he had contacted alternative bus companies in the Wycombe and Marlow areas, but all were under contract elsewhere until March next year.

He added: "I understand that parents are planning to offer shared lifts for groups of children, and I'm told that everyone is catered for at the moment."

County council education department spokesman John Mitchell said he felt extremely sympathetic towards the parents, but the council was unable to subsidise another school bus.

He said: "We cannot fund these pupils to travel to Henley because, logically, we would have to do the same all over the county.

"The rules must be applied consistently to be fair to all parents, pupils and council tax payers."

He said there were only a few exceptional circumstances in which the council would pay for a pupil to travel to an out-of-catchment school.

The headteacher of Icknield Community College, Paula Taylor-Moore, said she would be more than happy for the students to come to her school.

No one at Horseman Coaches was available to comment.