A HUDDERSFIELD couple have hit out at a coach company after two of its vehicles broke down on a day trip.

Glenys and John Beardsell, of Newsome Road, Newsome, took a trip to The Deep aquarium in Hull with Abbeyways.

They were due to set off from Huddersfield bus station at 10am on October 29.

But the coach broke down and the driver had to get a taxi to Halifax to bring another one.

The party eventually left Huddersfield at 11am - but Mr and Mrs Beardsell were unhappy about the state of the second coach.

Mrs Beardsell said: "The coach was dilapidated. We got on the motorway, but I was not happy.

"You could see daylight through the gap under the door. The double-glazed window which I was sat next to was full of condensation and dirty. The seal had gone."

When they reached Hull, Mrs Beardsell said the driver did not take a head count of passengers.

She said this resulted in a delay leaving Hull, because they waited to see if passengers were turning up.

She added: "The driver had no idea how many people were on the bus and asked us. We were waiting for people and didn't know if we needed to or not."

But when the coach reached Huddersfield the driver noticed a problem and pulled up on Trinity Street, to let the passengers off.

The Beardsells caught a bus from the bus station back to Newsome.

Anthony Jackson, of Abbeyways, said the problems on the journey were due to unforeseen minor faults.

He said the bus breakdown at Huddersfield was caused by a jammed starter motor.

It was quicker for the driver to fetch another bus from Halifax than fix the problem on the spot.

The second breakdown was caused by dirt in the fuel tank.

Mr Jackson said: "Minor disruptive faults cannot be easily foreseen."

He said the company's coaches were maintained in accordance with strict requirements of the Transport Ministry. All its vehicles were inspected daily.