HIGHWAYS bosses have been accused of ‘dragging their feet’ over road safety as Blackburn with Darwen was named the second worse area in the country for accidents involving children near schools.

Community leaders have called for a quicker roll out of 20mph zones across the borough, as it came behind only Blackpool for the rate of children being killed or injured within 500m of a school.

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Blackburn with Darwen Liberal Democrat leader David Foster said ‘drastic action’ was needed.

He said: “We’ve been trying to get the council to introduce 20 mile per hour limits in residential areas.

“I’ve been pointing out to the council for a long time that we’ve got a high accident record and do need to take drastic action.

“Introducing 20mph limits near schools, but generally in residential areas, has shown to have an impact on road casualty figures.

“I’m disappointed that the council are dragging their feet on it.”

The data, provided by insurance company Axa and the Road Safety Analysis Organisation excluded London, and was calculated by head of population.

Between 2011 and 2013 in Blackburn and Darwen the annual rate of child road casualties, which includes deaths, serious injuries and slight injuries, was one casualty per 467 people.

However, a Blackburn with Darwen Council spokesman said he was ‘sceptical about the reliability and accuracy of these statistics’.

In the Lancashire County Council area the rate was one per 762 people, with the county ranked 32nd out of 172 highway authorities.

The evidence also supports the Lancashire Telegraph’s ‘Slower Speeds, Safer Children’ campaign for the a 20mph limit in residential areas and around schools, to reduce the number of child casualties.

The borough was also the seventh worst authority in the country in terms of the rate of collisions near schools as a whole - which also took into account the numbers of adults killed or injured.

Ribble Valley councillor Ged Mirfin has been campaigning for road safety measures to be introduced after being seriously injured as he walked his son Harry to St Leonard’s Primary School in Langho.

He said: “The figures don’t surprise me at all.

“I’ve been calling quite recently for speed cameras to be mandatory outside schools.”

Darwen MP Jake Berry has also called on the council to do more to reduce the accident rate.

He said: “I have been consistently campaigning for two years for the council to introduce 20mph speed limits in all side roads.

“I’m disappointed that they haven’t carried out this initiative despite the fact that it happens in most of Lancashire.

“These figures demonstrate why we need more 20mph zones in schools and in residential areas.”

Deputy headteacher of Blackburn’s Longshaw Junior School, Jonathan Berry said: “We always try to highlight to parents the importance of not parking on zigzag lines.

“Often we really do feel it can be quite frustrating, that it’s the simplest of things that people. Lots do park on zigzag lines when they should take the time to walk up to school.

“The kids walk out and they can’t always see left and right and could get knocked down.

“It’s a constant battle that we face.”

A Blackburn with Darwen Council spokesman said “One of the council’s biggest priorities is ensuring that our children are safe on our road network.

“The Council works to the principle that one accident is one too many and over the past five years our high risk areas of housing estates and schools have seen definite reductions in the occurrences of serious injuries and have not had a child death on our roads for years.

“We are extremely sceptical about the reliability and accuracy of these statistics and question the true motives of this survey as it was conducted by insurance companies.

“The council recently appointed a new road safety champion and Coun Brookfield works very closely with schools and parents through the Your Call scheme to encourage road safety.”

Coun Brookfield was appointed after worried parents and residents contacted the Council about parking issues outside schools.

The council, acting on these concerns, is introducing new safety measures such as new signs, extending keep clear lines outside schools and new double yellow lines.