Lollipop patrol axe in borough

A quarter of the 98 lollipop patrols in Sandwell are set to be axed, the Express & Star can reveal.

Sandwell Council says wardens are not needed where pedestrian crossings already exist and under plans to be discussed on Friday it will remove patrols from 25 sites in the borough.

No staff would be made redundant but wardens would not be replaced once they leave, in line with new national guidelines.

All 25 locations are sites where there are already pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights.

By cutting 25 positions, the council should save around £5,630 a month.

Cabinet member Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: "The Local Road Safety Officer Association has issued guidelines saying that in places where there are already crossings, the local authority does not have to a have a patrol.

"We are going to phase these patrols out when people retire or leave, in line with these suggestions."

Under the plans, wardens could also be moved to one of four locations which need patrols and have no crossing facilities.

These include Crocketts Lane, Smethwick; Park Lane East, Tipton; Monksfield Avenue, Great Barr; and New Road, Great Bridge.

The patrols set to lose their wardens include busy routes such as Dudley Road West, Tividale, where 190 youngsters cross the road each day, and Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich, where 133 cross.

The council claims that having both traffic lights and a crossing patrol is "confusing" for motorists.

By Sally Walmsley