Schools give green light to parent parking purge

St Mary and St Michael Catholic Primary School, Garstang and Barnacre Road Primary School, Longridge, responded after the authority revealed all its schools can expect to be visited by parking wardens in the current academic year.

It is part of a crackdown on parents and guardians who stop on zigzag lines outside school gates.

The Garstang school hailed its designated pupil ‘drop off point’ - introduced several years ago - a success in helping to keep children safe from road accidents.

Heather Cronshaw, secretary at the Castle Lane school, said; “What we have adopted is a drop-off point. Parents drive in, there’s a drop-off point near the school gate.

“They drop off and drive round the roundabout and drive off again. The drop-off has been brilliant.”

She said the visits by parking wardens was “probably a good idea because lines were there for a reason, because it’s dangerous.”

The LCC plan was revealed at a meeting where councillors were also told which parking perils could – and could not – be tackled by the authority’s attendants.

Simon Wallis, head at Barnacre Road, said: “To be honest parking is an ongoing problem really. Sainsbury’s for many years have given permission for parents to park on their car park then cross over the road at the lollipop person and walk down Barnacre. It’s far quicker.

“Sometimes parents park on double yellow lines or zig zags to drop their children off. Sometimes parents are mounting the pavement without thinking what they’re doing and children are walking by. Sometimes they will park across someone’s dive.”

Mr Wallis said he welcomed the LCC move “if it helped to solve the problem”.