Some passengers were so shocked by the incident they refused to continue on board the coach and got taxis home from Knutsford services.

The driver, who also hit a bollard at Christie Park's car park when picking up the fans, has had his contract terminated by Carnforth coach company, Travellers' Choice.

One of the organisers of the fans' trip, Peter Allchin, said: "I didn't see the incident on the motorway because I was sitting further back but I heard other passengers yelling when, evidently, the coach came very close to hitting the back of an Argos wagon just south of Knutsford.

"The coach stopped at the services so people could calm down but about 10 refused to get back on and got taxis home.

"The driver had earlier hit a bollard while trying to get into the car park before we set off.When we contacted Travellers' Choice, to be fair, they sorted it out very quickly. We've used them a lot of times in the past and they've been great.

"They have been very helpful since this incident as well and we'd have no problem using them again in future. I just think the driver lost concentration."

Helen Shaw, from the management team at Travellers' Choice, said: "We got a call from a passenger when the coach was somewhere near Forton and immediately our MD, Darren Shaw, drove straight there and took the driver off the coach before bringing the coach back to Morecambe.

Safety, and our reputation as a responsible family firm, are absolutely paramount. We have a 24-hour line that passengers can ring wherever they are in the country and we acted as soon as we were made aware of a problem.

"We have since reimbursed everyone, including those who had to get taxis.

"Ironically, we have had good comments about this individual driver on our passenger surveys.

"Our drivers are among the best and most thoroughly trained in the industry. But we cannot take any risks. We'd like to apologise to those people travelling on this journey and thank them for their understanding."