Calls for more road safety measures outside school

A school governor said the situation with the road was "panic-inducing"

There are calls for more road safety measures outside a Surrey primary school following its lollipop lady retiring after 28 years.

Parents and staff at Stanwell Fields Primary School near Staines are urging Surrey County Council to make Clare Road safer after near misses.

A post from the primary school, which has 465 pupils, asked parents and carers to be "extra vigilant to ensure everyone’s safety" as there is now no-one to help children cross the road safely.

The council's cabinet member for highways said funding for a replacement lollipop person was available but so far nobody had come forward to do the job.

Doreen O’Dell, the school's former lollipop lady, retired in late 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The 75-year-old said she volunteered for the job at the school, which is a six-minute drive from Heathrow Airport, because "nobody else would do it".

She said: "People drive like maniacs down that road. It’s a nightmare."

Despite wearing high-vis clothing, Doreen said she had almost been knocked over a few times. 

Alexandria Chessman-Tait, a school governor, said the situation with the road was "panic-inducing" and that road safety at the school remained a "major issue".

She said parents and children crossed the road in lots of different places, halting cars and buses.

Matt Furniss, the council's cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth, said the authority "sympathised" with the concerns over road safety at the school.

He added: "It has not been possible to find a location for a zebra crossing due to the presence of bus stops, bends, side roads and driveways."

The county council said it was considering alternative options and improvements to parking arrangements, to be shared with the school and councillors for feedback.