PARENTS and schools in Kidderminster have issued last ditch pleas to save their lollipop lady who is facing the threat of redundancy as part of council cuts.

School crossing patrol Linda Parker has served Holy Trinity, St Ambrose and St George’s School pupils safely cross Birmingham Road for many years.

But last month, Worcestershire County Council announced plans to axe 15 patrols – including seven in Kidderminster - currently working on sites with zebra or light controlled crossings to save the authority £45,000 per year.

The authority is currently undertaking a staff consultation, which ends on Friday (July 13), with those affected but the proposal has sparked fears about the safety of children and their parents trying to negotiate busy roads.

Petitions have been placed in the three schools that use Birmingham Road and are also being circulated around the community in a bid to show support for the service and convince the council to retain the patrols.

Pamela Leek-Wright, head teacher at Holy Trinity School, said: “Linda does an amazing job, keeping our children and parents safe, making everyone use the crossing correctly.

“She also stops people from taking risks dashing through the moving traffic.

“There is a national campaign to retire all crossing patrols where there is a pedestrian crossing, but our crossing patrol on the Birmingham Road, one of the busiest roads in Kidderminster, with cars frequently going through the crossing when the lights are on amber.

“We need the support of parents and the whole community to help us get this potentially dangerous decision overturned for the safety of our children.”

Parent Kayleigh Driver said: “We need Linda to stay, only a few weeks back a car ran the red light, without Linda there a child could have been seriously hurt.”

And Lisa Winstanley added: “We live on Birmingham Road, opposite the school, so see the traffic and see countless near misses with drivers either accelerating up the hill as they leave Kidderminster, failing to stop for the pelican crossing even when the lights are on red.

“Some other drivers just sail through oblivious. Either way, you need to have your wits about you when crossing there.

“Lights alone are not enough. Linda is also a part of our community and we need as much of that as possible in today's towns.”

When the plans came to light Councillor Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member for communities, said road safety education would be offered to schools affected.

She said: “We are proposing to only remove patrols that are at sites where zebra or light controlled crossings already exist to enable safe crossing or where national policy determines it does not meet need.”

Petitions are available at all three schools or people can contact County Councillor, Mary Rayner via email at MRayner@worcestershire.gov.uk.