A teacher has been hailed a hero after steering a coach full of pupils to safety when the driver collapsed at the wheel on a rush-hour motorway.
Carl Thompson sprung into action as the vehicle, which was carrying 45 pupils, was heading to Alton Towers amusement park for an end of year trip.
The group were travelling in one of three coaches driving along the M1 from Axholme Academy school, in Doncaster, South Yorks, to the Staffordshire theme park when the driver lost consciousness.
The coach crashed into the central reservation, but Mr Thompson, an English teacher, managed to steer it off the M1 and bring it to a stop on a dual carriageway.
Nobody was injured during the incident and incredibly, no other vehicles were involved.
School principal Joe Sellars said: “The two teaching assistants who were on board, Diane Nunns and Stephanie Parkinson, said they first noticed that the driver appeared to be losing consciousness.
“Mr Thompson tried to support the driver and asked him to brake, but it was clear he had lost control.
“At this time, the coach drifted across three lanes and hit the central reservation.
“Luckily, they were very close to junction 30, so they managed to undo the driver's seat belt and pull him out of the way, then Mr Thompson was able to steer the coach.
"He drove up the slip road and off the motorway, round a roundabout and then on to a dual carriageway, where he brought the coach to stop.
“It’s a miracle that there were no other vehicles involved, given what happened and that it was 8.30am on the M1.
“We are so relieved that everyone is okay - I dread to think what could have happened.
“It’s an amazing story. Mr Thompson’s actions have prevented what could have been a very, very serious accident.
"He would not describe himself as a hero because he is very unassuming man, but his actions were heroic. What all the staff did is incredible.”
Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after the incident to tend to the driver and check the pupils,aged 12 and 13.
The school kept parents informed of what was happening by posting updates on their website.
Parents of children on the coach were also contacted individually.
Mr Sellars added:”Once Mr Thompson had stopped the coach and the emergency services had been called, staff phoned the school to let us know what had happened and we made the decision to bring the children back to the school so they could go home, rather than send another coach to allow them to continue to Alton Towers.
“Pupils had also been texting their parents so we were getting phone calls from them.
“The children behaved amazingly afterwards, when the police and paramedics arrived and while they were waiting for the replacement coach. They were a credit to the school.”
A spokesman for Black and White coaches, the firm which provided the coach, said: “The driver was taken to hospital. They ran a few tests but they don’t know what happened to him and he is recovering at home. What happened was a shock to everyone.”