A FATHER says his local education authority will not give his step-daughter a bus pass to get to school because she is not Catholic.

James Robinson has accused Durham County Council of discriminating against his 12-year-old step-daughter, Emily, because it will not give her a seat on the school bus.

Mr Robinson, from Fairlawn Avenue, Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland, said he had offered to pay for a seat on the bus to St John's RC School so his daughter could get to and from school safely. He said: "We live too far away for her to walk and I won't allow her to because in this day and age anything can happen."

Mr Robinson said : "The reason the council has given for not giving her a bus pass is that she is not Catholic. She had a concessionery seat last year but when she went back to school she was told she would be unable to use the bus again without a pass.

"When I rang the council they said she would not be getting a pass this year. Apparently if they cannot give everyone a seat on the bus then they don't give any concessionary tickets at all. The bus goes past my street half empty every day and yet she cannot get on it."

A county council spokesman said that it was unable to give Emily a pass because she "did not fit the criteria."