Mini police lay down law on parking

A GROUP of nine pupils at a Warrington primary school have signed up for a special project which allows them to become mini-Police Community Support Officers.
PCSOs Annette Lowe and Sarah Brown have set up the project at Oakwood Avenue Primary as part of their work in the local community.
The pupils, who are all in Year 6, are currently tackling the issue of parking outside the school in Oakwood Avenue.
The officers visit the school every Monday and Friday morning at 8.45am and every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at 3pm.
As part of their role the youngsters, who have been given a special uniform to wear, take it in turns to accompany one of the PCSOs – two at a time.
They patrol the perimeter of the school during those times, monitor those who park outside and speak to anyone who parks inconsiderately – reminding them of the parking restrictions that are in place.
PCSO Lowe said: “The aim of the scheme is to educate parents, guardians and other drivers about parking safely and sensibly outside the school. This is an issue that has been brought to our attention and the children are very enthusiastic about helping us to tackle the problem.
“It is clear that people have been ignoring the restrictions in place outside the school – the restrictions are there for a reason.
“There have been problems with drivers parking on double yellow lines and on the zig-zag markings, which are there to improve the safety of the children when crossing the road.
“The obstructive parking poses a danger to other road users and to pedestrians in the area, it is an inconvenience to local residents and causes traffic jams.
“The safety of the children is our priority and it is hoped that the project will have a big impact on those who park in the area.
“Most importantly we hope that those who are spoken to by the officers and the children will take on board the important advice they are given.”