A TAXI was sent to collect a severely disabled Urmston school pupil because the council had not told the contractor she had died days before.

Indeed, transport services for children at specialist schools across the borough have been plunged into chaos following a council mix up.

Trafford Council has expressed 'deep regret' for not informing the taxi firm that the girl, believed to have been a pupil at Delamere School, had passed away and has apologised 'unreservedly' to her family.

Teachers at the Pictor School, in Timperley, have also had to drive children home themselves as buses have not turned up.

Robert Jameson, whose four-year-old son Reuben started at Pictor School last week, said the situation has been "an absolute nightmare".

Mr Jameson, from Sale, said a minibus arrived for Reuben on September 8, but it did not have booster seats for any of the children or harnesses which some of them require.

He then had to leave work early every day last week to pick Reuben up because a bus had not turned up.

Mr Jameson added: "Many of these children have severe learning and physical disabilities, my little boy is only four, he's being tested for autism and he doesn't like change as it is.

"It's been very stressful for him."

A spokesman for the council said: "Trafford Council has recently procured a number of new transport operators for school transport provision for children with special educational needs.

"The service has experienced initial teething problems in the first few days of the new academic year, however, the council is actively addressing and resolving these issues as quickly as possible.

"Parents and carers are asked to contact ttcu@trafford.gov.uk for all enquiries."

However, shadow executive member for children's services, Cllr Jane Baugh, has blasted the ruling Conservative for making cuts to key services.

Cllr Baugh said: "As local councillors, we were contacted by parents reporting vehicles that arrived, were not adapted to take their children to school, or transport did not arrive on time or did not arrive not at all.

"This is unacceptable as It appears there has been a total lack of any information given to parents, let alone councillors, about the changes .

"The Conservatives must accept the responsibility for the stress they have caused parents and children and must be held to account for the way in which these changes have been made and the reasons for the changes."