Schools consider legal advice in parent parking row

Parents say there is nowhere safe to park

Three schools have written a joint letter to parents, threatening to seek legal advice if they continue to use their staff car park without a permit.

Kinsale Junior School, Kinsale Infant School and Hellesdon Preschool, which are all based at the same site in Norwich, say they are concerned about safety and high levels of traffic.

They are planning to use CCTV to identify repeat offenders and say those caught could be deemed trespassing.

However, parents say that without a designated car park they are forced to park illegally down side streets.

Many roads nearby have single yellow lines, restricting parking at certain times of the day

Parents have needed a permit to use the car park for many years but some have ignored the rules and have been "extremely rude when challenged", the joint letter said.

The car park is for staff, visitors and children with disabilities.

Roz Robinson, head teacher of Kinsale Junior School, said seeking legal advice would be a last resort.

"We would only go down that route if we felt a parent wasn't listening to what we wanted and there had been a dangerous occurrence," she said.

"And in that respect we would actually ask the police to help. It's all about the safety of the children."

Roz Robinson says she understands parents' frustration

About 400 children go to the three schools, with a further 1,500 pupils attending nearby Hellesdon High School.

Parents describe the school run as a "nightmare" and say they desperately need a designated car park.

One parent, who was spotted by the BBC parking illegally, said: "I've got to get my kids, so I either risk it or my kids get cold and wet.

"If they gave me another option, I wouldn't have to worry about the risks would I?"

Sara Caetano, whose child goes to Kinsale Infant School, added: "Obviously the car park at the school is too small so I don't know what else they could do."

Some parents criticised others for not walking or cycling their children to school, especially if they lived nearby.

Sara Caetano says finding a solution to the problem will be difficult

Ms Robinson added: "These schools were all built around the 1950s and 1960s and we didn't have as many cars on the roads at that time so the majority of children would have walked to school and parking wouldn't have been an issue."

She said that finding suitable land to build a car park would be down to Norfolk County Council and other agencies, and that all four schools were surrounded by houses which posed a challenge.

School leaders say the volume of traffic at the school entrance at peak times can be dangerous

The county council, which has some responsibility for schools, said it supported schools in promoting safe travel, including active options such as walking and cycling.

It also said schools with "individual needs" should contact its roads safety team.