EDUCATION chiefs said a planned strike by bus drivers could affect thousands of North-East children on the first day of their GCSE exams.

More than 830 Arriva North-East drivers in County Durham and Teesside are planning a 24-hour strike on Monday in pursuit of pay parity with colleagues who work for the company's Northumbria division.

But Durham County Council's deputy education director, Neil Charlton, said: "Monday marks the start of the GCSE examinations, and throughout the county thousands of 16-year-olds will be taking their maths exam.

"If the strike action goes ahead, more than 3,000 pupils in the county who normally travel on Arriva buses will have their travel arrangements adversely affected, and we are very seriously concerned that it could impact on their ability to actually get to school to sit the exam.

"Some of the drivers may have children of their own who will be sitting GCSE exams on Monday, and may want to reflect on the repercussions their strike could have on their sons and daughters.

"I appeal to them now, on their children's behalf and on behalf of young people throughout the county who are due to sit their first GCSEs on Monday, please reconsider the timing."

The council is writing to all the parents of children who will be affected, advising them to make alternative travel arrangements.

But Alan Gray, district officer of the TGWU, the drivers' union, said the law on industrial action, in which employers have to be given seven days' notice and strikes have to take place within a month of a ballot, meant the strike had to go ahead as planned.

He said: "I feel sorry for people taking exams, but to call it off at this late stage, when all the legal positions have been covered, we would have to re-ballot members on the same offer.

"I cannot see any way it can be called off unless the county council is going to fund our pay increase.

"We apologise. We did not pick the day to hit anyone starting an exam. We were not aware they were taking place."