A BUS firm allowed drivers to take Nottingham schoolchildren and students from Nottingham Trent University without taking enough rest.

Bilborough-based Bellamy Coaches also failed to keep records of work, an investigation by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) found.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard VOSA inspected the firm over a six-week period last year.

Officers discovered the company had failed to ensure their drivers took adequate rest while carrying youngsters.

The court heard that some drivers had taken less than four hours' rest between finishing driving one day and starting work for the following shift.

Drivers had also worked up to 27 consecutive days without taking the legally required breaks.

The officers also found that Edward Bellamy, as both director and transport manager, had failed to keep adequate records and systems to properly monitor his drivers' working hours.

Bellamy pleaded guilty to 77 offences relating to breaches of Drivers' Hours Rules and failing to keep records of work.

Magistrates fined him £17,000 and ordered him to pay £80,000 in costs.

Nine of the company's drivers previously pleaded guilty to a variety of offences and received fines.

VOSA operations director Alex Fiddes said: "I am very pleased with the level of fines the court has handed out.

"It shows how serious these offences are.

"Drivers who do not take the required amount of rest risk causing a serious accident."