The head boy of an island secondary has spoken about the terrifying moment his school ski trip bus was caught up in clashes between police and migrants in Calais.
Portree High pupil James Pringle, 16, woke up moments before a stone was thrown at the bus bringing them home from a trip to Italy.
The coach was carrying 35 pupils – between S2 and S6 – returning from a ski trip in the resort of Aosta, when the drama began at about 4am on Sunday.
The incident was reported to the police and Border Control at Calais and the coach was deemed safe to continue its journey.
Highland Council confirmed yesterday that all of the pupils and the seven adults who were on board are now home safely.
Mr Pringle’s 14-year-old brother, Martin, was also among the pupils on the coach, but slept through the entire episode.
Last night James, of Tianavaig, Portree, said: “I woke up and there were a lot of flashing lights. We were shifting to get through it all and then we heard just a big smash. We had no idea where it came from and someone said, ‘it is the last seat window by the toilet.’ We were then swerving to avoid some of the migrants as we drove through.
“It took us about five minutes to get through the barriers and within 10 minutes we were through border control.
“It was like, ‘is this real?’ We had no idea what was happening. It’s an eye-opener and it makes you think about what these people are going through. Some people on the bus were scared of them but others were saying, ‘you’ve got to understand where they are coming from.’
“The drivers were excellent throughout and kept their calm. They did very well to get straight through.”
James’s mother, Moreen, 47, said: “It could have been worse if they had surrounded the bus. When they arrived home it didn’t seem to have affected them and they were full of stories about the snowboarding trip. I was just glad they were both OK.”
Catherine MacDonald, Portree High School’s head teacher, said: “Everyone has returned home safe and sound from what was a fantastic ski trip with snowsports certificates under their belts. No one was injured as a result of the incident at Calais which was efficiently dealt with by our coach operator.”