HEADTEACHERS and road safety campaigners have issued a ‘stop this madness’ plea over poor parking and fast driving which puts schoolchildren at risk.

The appeal comes as new figures place Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Burnley in the top five boroughs in the UK for child road casualties.

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One fed-up headteacher now has pupils in sandwich boards regularly patrolling outside the school gates declaring the adjacent road a ‘safe crossing’ and ‘no parking’ zone.

A second was forced to warn parents about careless parking after a ‘serious near miss’ last week.

Their actions come as the RAC Foundation warned more youngsters die or are injured on the roads in the longer summer days than in winter.

The figures showed the peak times for accidents were between 8am and 9am and 3pm to 4pm, the school ‘rush hours’.

Its research reveals the highest proportions of under-16s killed and injured were in Blackpool followed by Hyndburn, Blackburn with Darwen, and then Burnley between 2010 and 2014.

In each borough, annually there were more than 28 children per 10,000 under 16 killed or injured in road accidents. The UK average was 15.3.

Ian Matthews, head of Ashleigh Primary in Darwen, said: “We have children out with sandwich boards before and after school to stress the importance of not parking near the gates or driving too fast.

“Some of the driving and parking near school could be seen as not far short of madness.

“I would like a 20mph limit near our school.”

“The borough council put down double yellow lines because of long-term parking problems but we still have issues.”

Blackburn with Darwen Liberal Democrat leader David Foster, whose Whitehall ward includes Ashleigh Primary, led 2013’s campaign with the Lancashire Telegraph for a blanket 20mph residential limit because the borough then had the UK’s worst figure for under-16 road casualties.

He said: “These figures for Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Burnley are shocking., “Some of the driving and parking near our schools on narrow, steep terraced streets amounts to madness putting children’s life and limb at risk. It has to stop.

“Blackburn with Darwen should bring in the long-overdue 20mp speed limit for all our roads.”

Former Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver, who rolled out 20mph residential speed limits across its 12 boroughs, said the new figures were ‘disappointing’.

He said: “Some of the driving and parking near our schools is madness.

“I would appeal to parents and motorists to take much more care as young children are at risk.”

James McBride, head of Oswaldtwistle’s West End Primary School, told parents in his newsletter on Friday: “A child was nearly knocked down last night when arriving for the disco.

“It is so frustrating.

“I am tired of reminding all parents about parking when it is the actions of a few who continue to flout the rules.

“What will it take? A child to be seriously hurt outside school before this minority change their behaviour?

“Parking on double yellow lines and the zig-zigs is not only an offence it puts children’s lives at risk.”

RAC road safety expert Pete Williams said: “It is the responsibility of all drivers to be mindful of the risks of young road users and to reduce their speed and increase their vigilance.”

Kevin Clinton, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Drivers need to bear much of the responsibility for children’s safety and watch their speed and be mindful children are about, especially in periods when the weather is nice.”

Blackburn with Darwen highways boss Phil Riley said: “We do everything we can to improve the safety of our school children, as the measures near Ashleigh Primary show.

“I would appeal to drivers and parents to take extra care when driving and parking near schools.

“The fact that Hyndburn and Burnley also have poor safety records shows that 20mph limits may not be the answer.”

Hyndburn council leader Miles Parkinson said: “Some of the driving and parking near schools is flabbergasting.”

County public health director Clare Platt said: “The number of children killed and seriously injured on Lancashire’s roads has reduced.

“We recognise any child killed or seriously injured is a tragedy and continue to work to reduce this further.”