Fears for children's safety as school lollipop man loses job in Staffordshire County Council cuts

Brewood Middle School will lose its crossing patrol man Alan Marston on October 14 after the position fell victim to Staffordshire County Council cuts in the summer. The council is also axing 24 other school crossing patrols too.

Mr Marston, who has served at the crossing on School Road for eight years, warned: "If I am not there there will be an accident and it will be down to the county council to sort out why. It will be the government cutbacks or whatever they want to call them."

Mr Marston, aged 52, of Church Road in Brewood, also works as the school's site manager.

He has held that post for 17 years and took up his lollipop when the previous man in charge of the crossing patrol died.

But he will no longer be able to carry on as part of council cuts totalling £150,000.

He said the school's headteacher David Swift has supported keeping him in post and that there had been considerable support from parents who appreciate his work.

Mr Swift said: "Mr Marston has done a very good job keeping children outside our school safe during his time with us and we are very sad to see him go.

"We are also concerned about the safety of our children going forward now he isn't there."

David Giles, whose 11-year-old son Oliver attends the school, said: "It is a free for all at 3.15pm, 3.30pm when the kids come out. Somebody is going to get hurt."

He added: "The council could do their bit to help.

"You can see how dangerous the road is. I would like Alan to get his job back.

"He's a smashing guy.

"But my main concern is that I have a child crossing on that road."

Amongst other cuts battling against one of the proposals a petition signed by more than 1,400 people was handed to the council in the summer.

Parents at Gorsemoor Primary School in Heath Hayes asked for the authority to reconsider the plan - but their plea was rejected a day later in July.

The council said it had undertaken a reassessment of roads around the school but that they deemed the crossing to be of low priority.

Mark Deaville Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport, said: "We fund around 250 school crossing patrols and regularly look at the locations to ensure that they are positioned where they are most needed, on the busiest roads where there is no place to cross safely.

"Since 2010, we have not replaced patrols at locations where there is already a controlled crossing or where it doesn't meet the criteria based on factors such as usage and the volume and speed of traffic in the area.

"Following a review of the Brewood Middle School Crossing, both the number and speed of passing cars was found to be very low and as it doesn't meet the criteria for a crossing unfortunately the council is unable to fund the post."