A coach firm has been given a formal warning after wheels came off vehicles numerous times – once when schoolchildren were onboard.

Government traffic chiefs have criticised Wigton-based Reays Coaches Ltd, which has a depot in Egremont, for the three separate incidents which happened over a 12-month period.

Deputy traffic commissioner for the North West, Miles Dorrington, told a public inquiry he had “never come across a wheel detachment case as unusual as this” during his nine-year post.

Mr Dorrington said the firm had satisfactory systems in place, prior to each wheel detachment and procedures had “intensified” afterwards.

He added that human error was the most likely cause of the wheel incidents, with drivers not carrying out a thorough check.

The first incident, in October 2015, involved a coach carrying school children from Wigton; the second happened near Kendal the following September and the last a month later on the A595.

“This was an extraordinary case where three wheels detached on three separate incidents,” said Mr Dorrington. “Unlike normal wheel detachment cases, where there is a clear chain of causation, that was not apparent in any of the incidents before me. Significant credit is given to the operator for everything it has done.”

Mr Dorrington said the company’s current wheel replacement system was one of the most comprehensive he had ever seen.

Reays presented evidence to show drivers are now rigorously checked.

The company and transport manager Christopher Reay was issued with a warning.

A Reays spokesman said: “We assisted the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency fully with its investigations and respect the outcome. No-one was injured in the incidents. We would stress that passenger safety is of paramount importance to all our staffand we apologise unreservedly for these incidents.

“We have already made comprehensive changes to our procedures and will continue to educate drivers about their legal obligations.

“We would add that Mr Dorrington chose to give us a warning rather than the more severe option of taking regulatory action. He also stated that we had satisfactory systems in place and had intensified those procedures afterwards.

“He added that the company’s current wheel replacement system was one of the most comprehensive he had ever seen and that ‘significant credit is given to the operator for everything it has done’.”