Pillaton parents will be on the march in a week's time when they take to the single track and dangerous lanes between the village and the Primary School just over two miles away at St Mellion, in protest at the proposals of Cornwall's education chiefs to axe the school bus at the end of the present term.

Backed by other members of the community, the parents and schoolchildren will set out at 8am on Thursday, February 17 in a bid to strengthen their campaign.

An action group of school governors and parents has already met with South East Cornwall MP Colin Breed who supports their appeal that the school should be considered a special case, and a petition with hundreds of names from the communities of both villages has already been sent to the Government's Education Minister, David Blunkett.

Since Pillaton's own small school was closed many years ago, the village children have been provided with a school bus to St Mellion, but the county council is now enforcing its new transportation rules that pupils of eight and over who live less than 3 miles from their nearest school will no longer be able to use subsidised transport.

At Pillaton this affects more than 10 children, who presently pay £30 each per term to use the school bus, but will now have to find alternative transport. But under the guidelines the pupils under eight will still be travelling free from the village, but using a taxi.

The action group has already appealed to county twice in a bid to save the bus but have been turned down. Some parents have offered to pay up to £35 per child each term to offset more of the cost, but on Thursday (yesterday) the chairman of the council's education committee, Meg Breckon, said a sum somewhere in the region of £2, 500 per year would be needed from the school's reserves before a change in policy could be made.

Rector of Pillaton and St Mellion, Father Lamb, who is a governor at the primary school, and will be taking part in the walk, said the route is via a twisting, narrow lane which is prone to flooding, and passes through woodland where felling is taking place. 'It is a dangerous walk at the best of times' he said, 'and is unsafe for adults, let alone schoolchildren'.

Father Lamb said that realistically none of the parents would be allowing their children to walk along the lane to school. 'They will be having to use their cars which will increase the already serious congestion at the junction of Church Lane and the notoriously dangerous section of the A388 through St Mellion. It will increase the number of cars five to six fold' he said. Father Lamb also emphasised the need for the St Mellion by pass which he said gets shelved year in and year out.

'This stretch of road, especially between the two islands is a notorious black spot where there have been nine accidents to my knowledge, sadly one fatal' he said. 'For the children's safety and everybody else's Pillaton must be allowed to keep the school bus'.

A Government report published by The School Travel Advisory Group (STAG) which was set up by ministers 12 months ago has called for measures to increase the use of buses and improve road safety education to reverse the 'dramatic' increase in school runs that had taken place since the mid 80s.