PUPILS are hoping their posters promoting road safety outside their primary school will drive home the message to parents.

Children at Barrowford Primary School will wave their banners in the street at peak times twice a day until Easter and for the first few days after the break.

The protest comes after a child was nearly knocked down outside the school. Parents are said to be parking on zig-zag school markings, speeding into the cul-de sac and using the area outside the school on Rushton Street for turning.

The school also said they were experiencing problems with a high number of taxis.

Higher level teaching assistant Fiona Martin, who came up with the idea and has a child at the school, said a seven-year-old girl was nearly hit.

She said: “Some parents just rush into Rushton Street at a very inappropriate speed.

“It’s as though there is no thought given to where they are. No thought that children are likely to be coming out of school.

“Last week there was a very close call with a young girl. She was with her parents and walking sensibly but the car just sped in far too fast.

“It’s been a problem for years because the road is blocked off at one end, making it a ‘turn’ for cars picking up. It can get very busy too – when residents park down one side there’s no room for two cars to pass.

“There’s no need for parents to enter Rushton Street at all. There’s plenty of other nearby places to park. However there is a culture of rushing, parking on the zig-zags and trying to get too close to the school gates.

“When the kids make the point that it is dangerous like this, they can’t be ignored."