County councillors are calling on the Government to fund train passes for students as traffic is causing them to be late for school.

Students older than 16 in full-time education or training can buy subsidised bus tickets to colleges and sixth-forms for up to £400, unless they are elligble for free school meals.

Maidstone councillors Cllr Shellina Prendergast (Cons) and Cllr Rob Bird (Lib Dem) are urging for post-16 transport funding to go towards train tickets.

This comes after parents complained school buses are not getting to colleges and schools on time.

Cllr Prendergast said: "I have so many parents complaining to me asking for rail travel as their children are constantly not getting to school on time using school buses.

"In the area of Maidstone that I represent, with the amount of building going on, there is a huge amount of traffic in the mornings.

"Rail travel would be so much easier."

Council leader Paul Carter wrote to the transport minister last year about this issue but did not receive a "positive reponse".

Now the leader of the opposition is asking Mr Carter to appeal to other councils to take this matter further collectively.

Cllr Bird said: "This is a no-brainer and I think the leader of the council should take it up with the county council network because I'm sure this is not unique to Kent.

"I'm sure every upper-tier authority across the country would like to see this happen."