School-run near miss sparks alert

A Fleetwood school has had to resort to placing plastic yellow signs outside the front gates to discourage irresponsible school run parkers.
Headteacher at Flakefleet Primary School, Dave McPartlin, is having to put plastic signs outside the school due to parents parking on the road and pavement.  He is pictured with 7-year-old Naomi Cawley.Headteacher at Flakefleet Primary School, Dave McPartlin, is having to put plastic signs outside the school due to parents parking on the road and pavement.  He is pictured with 7-year-old Naomi Cawley.
Headteacher at Flakefleet Primary School, Dave McPartlin, is having to put plastic signs outside the school due to parents parking on the road and pavement. He is pictured with 7-year-old Naomi Cawley.

The on-going problem was highlighted again after a frightening incident last week when a seven-year-old girl, Naomi Cawley, was nearly run over when a car reversed unexpectedly outside Flakefleet Primary School as she wheeled her scooter.

It was only the intervention of a woman crossing the road which saved the youngster from serious injury, when she pushed her out of the way.

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The scooter fell under the vehicle, which was parked outside the school, but the seven-year-old was unhurt.

Naomi was with her mum, Mary, who was so shaken by the incident she plans to start a petition try and discourage people from parking right in front of the school when they drop their children off or collect them.

Mrs Cawley, 39, of Lindel Road, said: “I wouldn’t like that to happen to anyone else.

“Someone could be killed next time.”

Dave McPartlin, head teacher at the school on Northfleet Avenue, raised concerns last year about some people parking on the zigzag zone outside the school.

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He says the problem is still there but now they are also parking up on corners, blocking off other motorist’s vision and creating a potential deadly situation for children walking into and out of school.

He said: “We’ve had to resort to these yellow signs because people are not getting the message.

“We are placing them outside the school gates so that, hopefully, parents can’t miss them.

“The safety and wellbeing of children at this school is my priority and it got to the stage where we had to be pro-active.”

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The signs state: “Parking here could endanger a child’s life”.

Mum-of-four Mrs Cawley, of Lindel Road, said: “Naomi was with me and my mine year old son, Craig and we were trying to cross to get into school in the morning, when the car moved backwards.

“This older woman was able to push him out of the way. If she hadn’t been there I dread to think what could have happened.”

Other schools in Fleetwood are still battling to stop a minority of parents from parking dangerously in front of the school gates.

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Last year it was revealed that police in Fleetwood were to use hidden cameras to monitor school-run parents}.

And there were plans to get tough and hit offenders with on-the-spot fines of £60 if they are caught, after receiving complaints from the public.

“We are placing them outside the school gates so that, hopefully, parents can’t miss them.

“The safety and wellbeing of children at this school is my priority and it got to the stage where we had to be pro-active.”

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The signs state: “Parking here could endanger a child’s life”.

Mum-of-four Mrs Cawley, of Lindel Road, said: “Naomi was with me and my mine year old son, Craig and we were trying to cross to get into school in the morning, when the car moved backwards.

“This older woman was able to push him out of the way.

“If she hadn’t been there I dread to think what could have happened.

“I will setting up the petition to raise more awareness of parking and make people think about where they park.”

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Flakefleet is not the only school in Fleetwood which has experienced the problem.

Schools in Fleetwood are still battling to stop a minority of parents from parking dangerously in front of the school gates.

Last year it was revealed that police in Fleetwood were to use hidden cameras to monitor school-run parents}.

And there were plans to get tough and hit offenders with on-the-spot fines of £60 if they are caught, after receiving complaints from the public.

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Mr McPartlin, added: “It is a real problem. We’re talking about just a small minority of parents.

“If they just parked up around the corner, there wouldn’t be an issue. They have been told about this.”