A school sparked outrage after hundreds of students were seen crammed like cattle into a truck for a day trip.

Footage shows the little children standing so they could all fit on the back of the lorry in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand on January 31.

A second trailer was attached to the truck that carried the innocent youngsters as they happily waved to each other along the road.

However, drivers who noticed the bizarre make-shift bus criticised the school for making the children travel dangerously and uncomfortably.

An onlooker said: ‘What were they thinking? It was too risky to make them go on the road like that.'

The school director Khun Sommai later explained that the school did not have sufficient funds to hire a bus.

He said: ‘It was my idea to use the truck. I own it and also took care of the petrol from my own pockets.'

He added the venue was only 26 miles away from the school.

He said: ‘The students were energetic. I thought using a larger vehicle would be safer than a pickup truck or a minibus. There were no extra costs involved.

‘The route selected was also a highway where there were hardly any cars. I gave clear instructions to the teachers to take care of the students and teach them how to climb down the ladder.'

The school director claimed that climbing the truck was also fun for the youngster.

He said: ‘I believe that using the truck will practice patience and generosity among the children. What's important to me is that the kids had fun.'

However, some of the parents wondered why the school did not have funds for the activity. It was unclear if a formal investigation was launched to probe the incident.

The students reportedly arrived safely at the venue in Bang Khan district where they met with youngsters from 20 other schools for a training camp from January 31 to February 3.