A taxi bill of almost six hundred thousand pounds, paid out to get kids to schools on journeys of up to a hundred and twenty miles, has been defended by North Somerset Council.

A Freedom of Information request's shown that twenty-eight thousand trips were made last year, as far afield as Taunton, Yeovil and even Dorset.

The Council says taxis can be cheaper than minibuses, are sometimes used to avoid children walking on dangerous roads and for pupils with special educational needs.