WANSTEAD: Police slam selfish parents

4:40pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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POLICE have slammed 'selfish' parents for endangering children's lives by continuing to park illegally outside two Redbridge primary schools.

Officers in Wanstead launched a crackdown outside Aldersbrook and Nightingale primary schools two months ago, after worried parents warned that children could be injured if they ran out from behind double parked cars.

Police increased patrols of the area and ticketed dozens of drivers in an attempt to tackle the problem, but have been frustrated by a small minority of parents who have continued to flout the law.

A pupil was knocked down and injured in front of Aldersbrook Primary School last year after walking out from behind an illegally parked car, and Sgt George Roughley, of Wanstead Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said the same thing could happen again unless parents stopped breaking the law.

He added: "We are still seeing parents parking on the zig zag yellow lines outside the school, even after warning many of them not to. We have seen a reduction in the number of parents parking dangerously in front of the school since we began these patrols, but there are still those who choose to ignore them.

"We have been ticketing drivers who park illegally in the area but we need people to use their common sense and stop putting children's lives at risk.

"We are now rolling these patrols out to Nightingale School which is experiencing similar problems."

Phil Lawrence, who has a son at the school, in Ingatestone Road, said the parents concerned were selfish and lazy.

He said: "The situation outside the school at the beginning and end of the day is completely ridiculous, and really dangerous.

"So many parents park on the zig zag lines that you can barely see them.

"A child had its leg broken last year when it stepped out from between two illegally parked cars, and I'm worried that it might happen again.

"The police and school have told parents time and again that they can't park on the lines, but a few of them haven't taken any notice."

No-one at Aldersbrook Primary School was available for comment.