Parents have voiced concern for children’s safety after the council announced it's cutting a free bus service taking pupils from Lawthorn and Perceton to Greenwood Academy.

The council say it has identified walking routes as safe and decided to axe the service from June.

Although residents have said it is ridiculous to expect children to walk and branded the route as unsafe after hearing about the decision last week.

Mum Fiona O'pray told the Irvine Times: “Well it came out of nowhere. It’s gone on this long and all-of-a-sudden without any consultation they make this decision.

“I've got a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old and I certainly wouldn't like them walking to school, there’s the underpass where there’s always broken bottles and you can get drug users hanging about.

“It's not a place where I want my children going through and I can't walk them to school every day.

An online petition has since been set up by the Lawthorn Perceton Parent Group, with so far 291 signatures.

It says: “90 Children from Lawthorn/Perceton two buses taking them directly to and from Greenwood being axed at the end of June. Now expected to do 2.8 mile 55 minutes walk each way.

Joan Sturgeon previously done the walk when the council tried before to cut the buses. It was deemed unsafe. There is nothing visible that has changed. Council say keeping in line with three-mile policy. No interest in Safety for walk or the fact 11 year olds will need to get two public buses each way.

Perceton resident and petition supporter Phil Pitt wrote: “The route itself is littered with broken glass, empty alcohol containers as well as having uneven and poorly maintained footpaths.

“The last 620 meters of the route is unlit and has heavy undergrowth and trees either side of the narrow path.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “The safety and welfare of our pupils is an absolute priority for the Council.

“We review school transport arrangements on a regular basis and, in this instance, available walking routes have been identified for pupils within the Lawthorn and Perceton areas to their catchment secondary school, Greenwood Academy.

"That means from June 2017, the school transport service will no longer operate.

“The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 sets out statutory walking distances for schools at two miles for pupils under eight years old and three miles for any other pupil.

“Nevertheless, we go over and above these guidelines by providing transport for all primary school pupils who would otherwise require to walk further than two miles. The three-mile limit is applied across the authority for secondary school pupils.

"The available walking routes between Greenwood Academy and the Perceton and Lawthorn areas has been deemed suitable within the prescribed distance criteria.”