Pupils’ appeal after boy injured

Pupils at a Spalding school are among campaigners raising awareness of driving standards after one of their school friends was seriously injured by a car. On Sunday, pupils lay in the road in front of Monkshouse School urging drivers to take more care. It followed a nine-year-old boy being seriously injured after being hit by a Mercedes A180 at the junction of Hannam Boulevard and Pennygate on Wednesday, March 11.

Steve Bellamy regularly takes his two grandchildren aged six and seven to Monkshouse School to Pennygate and told The Voice that there were two other incidents last week, including a van driver colliding with railings. He says another car reversing out of a nearby drive came close to knocking down one of his grandchildren. "This was the day before the young lad was injured," he said.

"The night before the lad was injured, our grandchild was upset in bed saying to her mum she'd have been dead if it wasn't for her because of the driver who refused to apologise. "With the van that hit railings, thankfully it was earlier as if it was a bit later there could have been four or five children by those railings. "People park on the paths, on the corners, too close to the junctions and on the yellow zig zags.

"Apparently those zig zags are only advisory. You'd think people wouldn't park there because it's unethical, but they still do. "It needs policing.

The school is great and some times teachers do don hi-viz and go out. "After both the injury and the crash into the railings there were four police vehicles in attendance so had the resources attend then. "I've started a text group with the police chief constable, councillors and authorities on there.

"I know the police have issues with the resources but we still pay our council tax. "We've been told the district council's wardens have been asked to go down there at police it but we haven't seen them yet." A spokesman for South Holland District Council though denied there had been an approach and as there's 'only one community warden for the whole district' he would have no powers for asking people to move cars off the roads/paths'.

Lincolnshire County Council, which is responsible for Highways, declined to comment further. Kaela Krawczak is another parent whose six-year-old attends Monkshouse. "If stronger action was taken by the local authority and police by fining the culprits and doing frequent random spot checks of the area during peak times, then I would expect the situation would improve significantly but right now there are no consequences," she said.

"No parent should have to worry that their child will not make it to school safely in the morning or get home safely in the afternoons. It is disheartening that it is a minority of other parents who are the ones posing the risk. "Myself and my daughter absolutely love the school.

"The teachers often do what they can to patrol the parking situation but unfortunately it has no long term effect." Lincolnshire Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident that led to the nine year old being injured to contact them.

A spokesman said: "Anyone who saw the collision or has relevant recorded footage is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 80 of 11 March."