Call for ANPR to catch out parents parking badly

Independent councillor Neil Speight warned there were not enough parking wardens in Thurrock to catch rule-breaking parents

Special cameras should be used to catch parents causing parking chaos outside the school gates, a councillor said.

Neil Speight said many schools across Thurrock in Essex were "overwhelmed" by cars at drop-off and pick-up times.

It followed residents establishing a dedicated taskforce to tackle illegal parking in the area, which is set to meet on 10 September.

"The only solution I can see working effectively is if they put up automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras outside schools," said Mr Speight.

Mr Speight, who is an independent councillor for Stanford-le-Hope West, said cameras would pose a "very real threat" of being fined to those flouting the rules.

He said the situation had worsened due to a declining culture in families walking to school and a shortage of wardens to enforce the law.

"We don't have a consensus on how we're going to tackle the problem," Mr Speight told BBC Essex.

Fatima Rodrigues, the principal of Hathaway Academy, said parents had blocked its delivery area at times

Fatima Rodrigues, the principal at Hathaway Academy, in Grays, Essex, said she had urged parents to park responsibly many times during her headship.

"I've sent letters out, I've sent emails out. It stops for a little while, then it starts again," she said.

Her school is situated in Hathaway Road, one of the main routes into Grays town centre.

"I've had to position staff outside on the road and on the gate to make sure that the children are safe crossing," Ms Rodrigues added.

The parking taskforce was established in July, the Local Democracy Reporting Service previously reported.

The 10-week project would include input from councillors, schools, parents and school children.