A SCHOOLGIRL who can only communicate by blinking has been awarded a six-figure compensation payout from British Telecom.

Ashleigh Cowen was left severely disabled by major head injuries, suffered when a BT van hit her as she got off a school bus on May 30, 2002.

At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, BT admitted partial responsibility on behalf of its driver for the accident and was ordered to pay £2.2m towards the care of Ashleigh, now 16.

Ashleigh was crossing St Bennet's Way, Chester-le-Street, with her sister Nicola, now 19, when she was knocked down.

After 18 months of operations and physiotherapy, she returned to a specially- adapted home in March 2004, but will continue to need specialist care for the rest of her life.

Ashleigh's mother, Michelle, a former customer service manager who gave up work to care for her daughter, said: "We would give anything to have Ashleigh back the way she was, but we want her to get the best possible care and make sure she will be provided for in the future."

The family are planningto buy a computer that would track Ashleigh's eye movements enabling her to communicate in more detail.

Her father, Michael, 47, said: "We just want her to be able to talk to us again - to tell us how she feels, to tell us when she is sad and when she is happy."