PARKING around schools has been a long-running problem across East Lancashire. After primary pupils launched a campaign highlighting the dangerous situation outside their school, education reporter Harriet Whitehead takes a look at some of the solutions.

IN a bid to crackdown on dangerous parking a new approach has been launched to improve safety outside the school gates.

Leaders at St Peter's and St Paul's CE Primary School in Rishton said despite sending many letters out, there is still a problem with parents and taxis driving into Arundel Street at the start and end of the day.

Now the children have launched a letter-writing campaign to parents, the police, Hyndburn Council and to the Lancashire Telegraph warning children's lives are at risk.

In one letter a pupil said the road is 'dangerous, deadly, unsafe' and asked 'how would you feel if your child got run over by a car?'

It read: "If a child is crossing the road and a car reverses into the the child, they could be killed or seriously injured.

"Another reason Arundel Street is dangerous is because cars are coming down the road at 30mph or 40mph when you are supposed to come down at 20mph."

Another pupil said in a letter: "Even though the school has put signs out people are still parking on the side streets and they either ignore the signs or are knocking them down."

These issues resonate with headteachers across East Lancashire who said it is inevitable problems will occur at the beginning and end of the school day.

One councillor said the solution could come from preventing parents from parking on the road outside the school during busy times.

Cllr Neil McMahon, ward councillor for Marsden in Nelson, is calling for a public space protection order to be put in place in Marsden Hall Road North to stop people parking after a series of issues outside Castercliffe Primary School.

In the Summer, police took enforcement action and handed out final-warning notices, but this has made no difference, Cllr McMahon said.

He said: "I have had another complaint recently and have been working with the school for the best part of a year and we are trying to get an order in place.

"I have had residents and parents getting in touch about someone mounting the kerb and driving along the pavement.

"When he drove off it he nearly hit two cars and a pedestrian. It is ludicrous.

"People are doing u-turns and mounting the kerb regardless of children being on the pavement. There is a total disregard for children's safety.

"The safety of the children is paramount. We have tried A-boards to stop drivers mounting the grass verge but they have not been deterred. Some people move them and park on the zig zag lines.

"Residents are also very upset because people are parking across or in their drives.

"They don't say anything about it now because there have been a few incidents where residents have said something and been threatened. On one occasion there was a fist-fight in front of children.

"If we get that it would set a precedent for a lot of schools"

Mark Dixon, headteacher at Padiham Green CE Primary School, said: "There are sometimes issues but that is inevitable.

"We have that mad 10 minutes before school and at the end of the day.

"Parents try and park as close to the school as they can which creates congestion and safety issues.

"We have been given A-boards which has made a big difference in one of our entrances where people would drive up and reverse down when people were taking their children home.

"In the other entrance we are repainting the double yellow lines and will be using A-boards to stop people parking there."

Mark Geldard, headteacher at Roe Lee Park Primary School in Blackburn, has said the 'only real solution' would be for parents to make 'more of an effort' to abide by the law and also to be courteous to residents living around the school.

Kathleen McKeating, headteacher at St John the Baptist RC Primary School in Padiham, said they have also had quite a few problems especially as there was no car park allocated when the school was built many years ago.

She said: "I put it in my newsletter to be considerate and I have put cones out and gone and challenged parents.

"The community policing team have also been down at busy times. I also think it is weather related - when it is raining they are all rushing."

"There is a bus stop that people regularly park in and ignore the zig zag lines. We have also had cones squashed."

Helen Rowan, headteacher of Belthorn Academy Primary School in Belthorn Road, Oswaldtwistle, said they have put a couple of measures in place to address the issue.

She said: "We have a stop and drop system where members of staff stand outside the school, parents pull into a parking bay and staff take children into school. That has worked really well.

"After school we also have a late pick-up club. If parents have children in Key Stage One and two they can come slightly later.

"We still have issues but it is working better since we put these measures in place."