Burnley residents fear "flying squad" school parking wardens could make traffic problems worse

Wellfield Primary School is just one of many in Burnley that has held awareness campaigns in a bid to make drivers park safer on the school run.

Headteachers in Burnley have welcomed news from Lancashire County Council that a "flying squad" of parking wardens are being brought to the town to crackdown on drivers who park on zig-zag lines and other restricted areas outside school.

But neighbours living in Marsden Court, which is close to two of the town's primary schools, are worried it will bring even more cars to their quiet cul-de-sac as parents and carers make a bid to avoid the parking wardens.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "This is a quiet area with 24 houses on here but during the week we are plagued with drivers on the school run who insist on parking on here when they drop off and collect their children.

"They double park and sometimes leave their cars across our drives and when you try and challenge them they do not react well.

"Sometimes they arrive as early as 2-30pm and if you are out you dread going back home because you know it is going to be chaos and you may not be able to access your own drive.

"If wardens are patrolling around schools it is surely going to make drivers avoid the area and start looking to park on nearby roads and streets which is just moving the problem somewhere else."

All Burnley’s county council run schools can expect to be visited by parking wardens in the current academic year, as part of a crackdown on parents, guardians and anyone else who stop on zig-zag lines outside school gates.

The plan was revealed at a meeting at Lancashire County Council were panel members were also told which parking perils could - and could not - be tackled by the authority’s attendants.

The “flying squad” will be visiting problem parking areas where restrictions might previously have gone unenforced.

But Peter Bell, the county’s highway regulation enforcement manager, has said his priority was “keeping the roads clear” not issuing tickets.

He said: “If there’s somebody in the car, the first thing we will do is try to move them on. But if they refuse we have no choice but to issue them with a ticket.”