The head teacher at the centre of Ingatestone's ongoing bus battle has denounced local councillors as 'bullies' intent on 'damaging' his school.

Bob Reed spoke out after Brentwood Council's planning committee rejected the Anglo European School's plans for a new million pound sixth form science block, claiming it would lead to an increase in student numbers and add to the already large number of coaches and traffic passing through the village.

The school is planning to appeal.

It is the latest in a series of confrontations between the school and the council over the best solution to the school bus problem, fuelled by the council's rejection of the school's plans for a turnaround at the southern end of Seymour Field in favour of one to the north.

Mr Reed, who insists that any increase in pupil numbers could be absorbed by existing bus services, said: "I did not expect the borough council to be actively seeking ways of damaging the school that so many others admire.

"Equally we cannot see why, if the Government is prepared to invest substantial sums to improve the school's facilities and make the sixth form available to a greater proportion of our pupils, muddled thinking should be allowed to stand in the way.

"We have got to the stage with the council that I am really beginning to feel like somebody is trying to bully me."

He suggested that the delay in approving the turnaround plan could result in the loss of a government grant covering the cost of the project, which expires at the end of March.

But the charges have been categorically dismissed by Cllr Chris Dale, vice-chairman of the planning committee and Ingatestone councillor. He said: "It was a reluctant decision by the planning committee to turn this down.

"There are other applications pending, including a sports hall and the turnaround, and we had hoped to defer this so that all the planning issues concerning the school site could be considered together. But the head teacher made it clear he wanted a decision.

"We are certainly not bullying the school, I reject that totally. We are proud of it and are simply doing the best we can to come up with a plan for the site that suits the needs of not only the school but the residents in the village around it."

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