No replacement found for injured “lollipop lady”

EFFORTS to find a temporary school crossing patrol to stand in for a “lollipop lady” injured in a road accident at Warrington have so far proved unsuccessful.
The absence of a patrol on the busy Marsh House Lane has angered local councillor Kevin Bennett (pictured) and also led to a formal complaint from a member of the public.
Cllr Hans Mundry, the borough council’s lead member for highways and transportation, has taken the matter up with road safety and highway adoptions manager Mark Tune.
He said the council had:
*Contacted St Benedict’s and Beamont primary schools asking for help in finding volunteers to man the crossing.
*Asked the two schools if they would release a member of staff to cover the vacant patrol site at the usual times.
*Investigated options for relocating a patrol from another site considered to less of a prioerty.
*Written to six patrol officers asking them to consider a temporary move to Marsh House Lane.
*Contacted a recruitment agency to see if they had suitable candidates on their books.
Mr Tune said the recruitment of a new temporary patrol officer was also being progressed. But school crossing patrol posts were difficult to fill and the recruitment process was lengthy.
So far no-one had been found and it seemed likely the Marsh House Lane crossing would remain vacant for several months.
The incident in which the regular crossing attendant was injured occurred during the Christmas holiday period – ironically near to the crossing site.
Cllr Bennett said he had handed in a petition last October from residents concerned that the Marsh House Lane crossing had been without a “Lollipop person” for 13 weeks.
Now it seemed the crossing was likely to be unattended again for some time.
Cllr Bennett said: “This accident again shows how dangerous this stretch of road is.
He addedL I hope everything possible will be done to find a temporary replacement  to make sure children are given safe access across this busy road.
“I also hope everything that can be done to ensure that this ‘Lollipop’
lady’s job is safe.
“I sincerely hope that there are no accidents involving our children during the period that they are without a School Crossing Person.”