A bus driver who drove a double decker packed with college students into a low-level bridge has been spared jail.

Trevor Wilson failed to spot four warning signs and drove into the bridge ripping the roof off, a court heard.

Twelve students required hospital treatment following the crash.

Although a professional driver for 21 years, it had been 10 to 15 years since Wilson had driven a double decker prior to the incident.

Darlington Magistrates' Court heard how Wilson was only given his route to take students to Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington, County Durham, the day before the crash which happened on September 22 last year.

The vehicle was switched from a single to a double decker bus moments before he set off at 7.50am.

Wilson 'expressed concern' over the route as he was unfamiliar with it, his solicitor Simon Walker told Darlington Magistrates' Court.

Wilson, 51, of Wellington Walk, Stockton, took directions from a 17-year-old female student on board the bus to get to the college.

When she noticed the bus was about to hit the bridge, the same student tried to warn Wilson.

David Maddison, prosecuting, told the chair of the bench, Christopher Cunningham-Shaw: "She tried to warn the driver, she doesn't believe he heard her warning and I expect, your worship, this bus was very noisy from the teenagers."

The bus is thought to have been travelling at 20-30mph along Neasham Road in Darlington immediately before the collision.

A witness described looks of 'bewilderment' on the faces of students on the top deck ahead of impact.

The court heard that 12 students were taken to hospital after the accident, of which one had a broken collarbone, although none were seriously injured.

Wilson was sacked from his employers, coach company Compass Royston, after the incident and was put onto sickness benefit by his GP.

Wilson has no previous convictions and the court heard he would like the opportunity to apologise to the students involved in person, Mr Walker said.

Wilson initially pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving at a previous court appearance.

Mr Walker said this was on his advice as he was declined a request for adjournment in order to find out more facts about the incident.

Wilson changed his plea to guilty before he was due to go on trial.

Mr Walker told the court Wilson's driving was 'negligent' rather than deliberately dangerous.

He added: "This has been a one-off error, his first one in 21 years of passenger driving and 30 years of driving a vehicle."

Mr Cunningham-Shaw gave Wilson a suspended 12 week custodial sentence, a driving disqualification for 18 months, a 12 month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay £85 court costs.

He told Wilson he appreciated the 'difficulty' this case has brought him.

He told Wlison that the bench of magistrates had considered an immediate custodial sentence because of the 'seriousness of the incident' and it's potential consequences.

But he accepted Wilson had shown remorse over the incident.