A WORDSLEY school lollipop lady has been celebrated 40 years of crossing kids safely over the road.

Delia Mills first started crossing children over the road outside Belle Vue Primary School in Lawnswood Road in 1977 - when Hot Chocolate topped the charts with So You Win Again and Ford Cortinas were the cars to drive.

Four decades on, she says she has no plans to give up her role as school crossing patrol officer.

To mark her milestone 40 years in the job - staff and pupils at Belle Vue presented her with a bouquet of flowers and a commemorative vase this week.

Delia, aged 74, said: “I love my job, it’s so wonderful to see the children every day, they always make me smile.

“The roads are definitely busier than when I started, and sometimes I have to stand my ground, but it’s all worth it to cross the children and their families safely. I’m now crossing the children of children I helped get to school in the 70s and 80s. I really feel part of the Wordsley community.”

Belle Vue Primary headteacher David Porter said: “Delia is a Belle Vue institution, she’s always here, come rain or shine and it makes our spirits lift to see her.

“Delia does a wonderful job and is respected and loved by staff, parents, and children. We’re very lucky to have Delia on our patch.”

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, Dudley’s cabinet member for environmental services, said: “Delia has been keeping children and families safe as they cross the road on their way to school for decades.

“She has become a much-loved part of the Wordsley community and we are always on the look-out for more dedicated and friendly people like Delia to join the service.”