A coach driver has been hailed a hero after he evacuated 30 terrified teenagers from his burning vehicle just minutes before it exploded.

Ray Roulstone, 65, pictured, ushered the youngsters to safety through a rear fire exit as toxic fumes filled the coach and a ferocious fire burned in the engine.

The £260,000 vehicle burst into flames and was reduced to a smouldering shell.

Mr Roulstone, of Skipton, has now been handed an award by West Yorkshire Police for his part in the dramatic rescue which happened as he was driving the youngsters back from a rock concert in Manchester.

Today he recalled the terrifying incident in the early hours of February 2 when he was driving along Canal Road in Shipley and the engine burst into flames.

"All of a sudden the vehicle started to shudder," he said. "All the lights went off both inside and out. My first reaction was to pull over. I looked in my wing mirror and you could not see down Canal Road for fire and thick black smoke.

"The whole of the engine compartment was on fire. The passengers were all panicking and their first reaction was to run for the front door. I had to get them to the back and out of the emergency exit."

As the coach filled with toxic smoke, Mr the brave driver ushered the youngsters to safety. Within minutes, the bus was engulfed by flames. None of the teenagers, who were from around the Bradford district, were injured.

Mr Roulstone, who was honoured for his bravery with a certificate of merit at the Keighley divisional police awards, today said he had acted out of instinct.

"I wasn't frightened at the time because I had a job to do and had to get those kids off," he said. "After that, I could only watch as the coach burned from end to end.

"That started to make me think what could have happened. All that was left after just half an hour was the frame of the coach. If they had been old or disabled passengers then I think there would have been fatalities. It was fortunate they were youngsters."

Marina Wilcock, landlady of the Britannia pub on Canal Road, looked after some of the teenagers as they tried to come to terms with their ordeal.

She paid tribute to Mr Roulstone for his actions. "He was absolutely marvellous," she said. "It was horrendous to witness and quite frightening. Thank goodness he managed to get them off."

Andrew Howick, of Hebden-based Hargreaves Coaches which owned the vehicle, said he was "very proud" of the driver's actions. The company has been cleared of any blame for the engine fault.

"Dealing with people in the event of an emergency is part of a driver's training but this must have been very traumatic for him," said Mr Howick.

Superintendent Mark Whyman, commander of the Keighley division, who handed out the awards at the ceremony in Bingley, also praised Mr Roulstone.

"He was a hero on that day," said Supt Whyman. "It was the way he evacuated the children from the burning bus which was so courageous because a lot of them were not aware of how serious the situation was."