POLICE have been called in to investigate racism allegations made against a driver working for Watford's biggest bus and coach company.

Officers from Watford police's racial incident unit have received reports of allegations made by the Asian Women's Assocation for Awareness and Support (AWAAS) against a coach driver who works for Arriva The Shires.

The association claimed the driver made abusive comments during a day trip to Legoland in Windsor earlier this month.

It also claimed the coach driver abandoned seven of the party at Legoland and refused to turn back despite pleas from the rest of their group.

Members of the group said he told them he would abandon them on a motorway hard shoulder if they continued to remonstrate.

In a letter to Arriva's managing director Mr Dennis Upton, AWAAS, stated: "The abusive language and racially motivated comments and the deliberate abandonment of women and children at Legoland by Arriva has enraged the Watford Asian community and marred the efforts of our association, which was striving hard to bond relationship between communities."

Managing director of Arriva The Shires Mr Dennis Upton has apologised and promised a full inquiry into the driver's behaviour.

But the group has reported the driver to the police and is demanding compensation.

The group claimed that during the journey to Windsor on August 7 there had been arguments with the driver over a second pick-up spot and the departure time from Legoland.

They said at the end of the day all members of the party had returned to the coach by 4.20pm, ten minutes before the agreed departure time of 4.30pm.

The group clamed a row then broke out over a cassette tape of Asian music, which some of the children on the coach wanted to be played. The driver was alleged to have made a racially abusive comment concerning the music.

He then told the party he was about to leave and refused to count the number present, even though it soon became clear three women, one of whom was pregnant, and four children were missing.

AWAAS general secretary Mrs Dilshad Basha said: "I challenged him and asked him to turn back. He hurled abuse at me and continued to drive.

"On four separate occasions the driver spoke to his manager on his mobile phone while he was driving. We requested to speak to him but the driver refused to let us use his phone."

As the arguments continued, the group said the driver threatened to abandon them beside the motorway before he eventually pulled into a lay-by at Rickmansworth. The police were called and an officer stayed on the bus until it made the two requested drops in Watford.

After the party arrived home, Mrs Shanaz Ali, the group's chair, telephoned Arriva and spoke to a manager. He said he could not make any arrangements to get the stranded party home and allegedly put the phone down when he was asked why he had not instructed the driver to turn back.

Mrs Basha added: "The stranded members had to travel by public transport to Windsor and then to Slough and took taxis home to Watford, which cost £60.

"By the time they got home they were highly distressed and unable to believe what had happened."

She added: "This driver gave us some horrible abuse and the group who were left behind were very frightened as they only have limited English.

"We have reported the matter to the police and have instructed a solicitor. We want compensation for the people who had to find their own way home and also for the distress caused."

Following a letter to Arriva The Shires, Mr Dennis Upton wrote back to Awaas apologising for the incident. He said: "The contents of your letter are being investigated and as soon as I have a full report on the incident I will write to you.

"In the meantime please accept my sincere apologies and rest assured that this matter will be taken very seriously indeed by Arriva The Shires."

This week general manager Mr David Shelley said: "I don't think it would be fair to comment as this is an internal matter."

WPC Eleena Armstrong, of Watford's racial incident unit, said: "If racial language is used in a threatening or abusive way it can be a criminal act but if it is made as a comment then it could be a civil matter.

"We will be investigating this because it was reported as a racial incident. We will be speaking to the driver and the coach company."

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