A worried parent fears a change to her son’s school bus route is a “potentially fatal accident waiting to happen” in icy winter weather.

Charlotte Burton, whose son goes to Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, said the bus route was changed over the Christmas holidays and the full size bus now travels down Kop Hill in Princes Risborough.

The hill, which plays host to the famous Kop Hill Climb charity event every year, rises 304 feet in 3,848 feet, with a gradient of one in four at its steepest.

Describing the hill as “notorious”, Ms Burton said: “My son’s full size school bus now goes down Kop Hill on icy January mornings. It is a serious, indeed potentially fatal, accident waiting to happen.

“The route is now much longer than it used to be. On January 9, he didn’t get to school until 9.05am – one and a half hours on the bus and nearly half an hour late for school. This is a crazy route for a full-sized bus.”

In response to the concerns, Bucks County Council said it was aware of the issues and is working with the operator on the route.

A spokesman said: “We are aware the bus operator on this particular route is currently using Kop Hill between stops. 

“Whilst this road is on the gritted route schedule we acknowledge parents’ concerns regarding this matter. The safely of the children using these services is paramount to us all.

“There are alternative roads that can be used and we are currently reviewing and working with the operator to understand what options there are for finding a permanent alternative for this route or one that could be used in times of severely bad weather.

“With regards to late services, we are aware of a reported late running on January 9 however we are not aware of any ongoing concerns. 

“Nevertheless, we will monitor the arrival times of the service over the coming days and weeks and also urge parents to contact the client transport team if they have continued concerns regarding late school arrival times.”