THE family of a 12-year-old girl who was allowed to wander off sleepwalking on the motorway hard shoulder during a school trip spoke of their outrage this week.

Shaun and Wendy's daughter, Claire, was the second child to be left behind in the same Lancaster Central High school trip to France.

The first was 12-year-old boy Robbie Lees, who was left in a supermarket while still in France.

Robbie's parents were said by headteacher Pat Askew to have accepted the school explanation. But Mr Shaun Eccles fumed: "I got the call from a lorry driver south of Coventry who told me he had my Claire.

"Imagine how I felt - she was supposed to be with her teachers and this was a quarter to one in the morning.

"It turned out the police came and drove her back to the school bus which was driving away. Apparently they hadn't even noticed she had gone.

I'm told the police really tore into the teachers on the coach about it. You'd think after it had happened the first time they'd lost one they'd have been extra careful.

"Nobody from the school apologised until 4pm the next day - you'd have thought they'd have mentioned it at least when I came to pick her up. I'm considering legal action about this. Claire is still upset - imagine waking up as a 12-year-old on the hard shoulder in the middle of the night and not having a clue where you are.

"Her mum Wendy has hardly slept since it happened. I just want to thank the man who found her."

The trucker who rescued Claire, Bill Giles, remembered: "She was in floods of tears and I just stopped. I didn't want to get out and run after her in case I scared her but she came to me.

"I just calmed her down a bit and called her dad. Anybody would do it. I'm just glad she's unharmed."

Claire had been escorted off the coach and appeared to be awake. The children were told they had about 15 or 20 minutes to call their parents to tell them they would be late home.

The reason for that lateness was they were held up in Calais while two teachers hired a taxi to pick up Robert Lees.

One report had it that Robert was using up his last francs with the other children in a French hypermarket when the coach left without him.

He managed to call his mum who alerted the coach company who in turn contacted staff on the vehicle.

Headteacher Pat Askew said the school would review procedures and whether or not they will organise the trip again.

She said she had apologised unreservedly to the parents before adding: "My teachers are absolutely and utterly dedicated to their job."

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