A POLICE officer used a public bus to travel to a 999 call after a child was hit by a car.

Emergency services were called out to the scene near Barry Downs Holiday Park near Carnoustie, Angus, following reports the six-year-old boy had been struck by a vehicle.

Police officers from Carnoustie and Baluniefield in Dundee were called to attend, along with an officer from nearby Monifieth.

But while the Carnoustie and Dundee officers raced to the scene in squad cars the Monifieth officer took a number 73 Stagecoach service bus to the incident.

A police source said the incident was down to a lack of available police cars and local politicians said they planned to raise the issue with police chiefs.

Carnoustie councillor Bill Bowles said: "The officer seems to have been very lucky that a bus was passing at the time and didn't have to wait 20 minutes.

"I am going to speak to the area commander and find out what he has to say about it."

A spokeswoman for the single force said it had "nothing whatsoever to do with a lack of patrol vehicles or cutbanks".

She said: "Community officers are encourage to be visible in their communities and this includes foot patrol and use of public transport. This did not affect on our response to the incident."

Angus deputy commander, Inspector Ally Robertson added: "The Carnoustie response took just four minutes, Baluniefield 11 minutes and the officer from Monifieth took nine minutes on the public transport.

"We thoroughly encourage officers to use public transport if available and we like our community officers to be out and walking.

"We have sufficient numbers of officers and sufficient numbers of cars."