CHILDREN and parents in York are set to receive a double safety boost as a long battle for school crossing patrols to be put in place nears its end.

Pupils attending schools in the Holgate area should have extra help to keep them clear of danger while making their way across busy roads by the start of the next academic year.

The route approaching the railway bridge in Holgate Road has been without a crossing patrol for around three years.

But now, following a successful advertising drive by City of York Council for somebody to take on the “lollipop” role, that situation is set to change within months.

Meanwhile, a further school crossing patrol officer (SCPO) has been secured for Water End, next to Poppleton Road Primary School, another area which has lacked a road safety guardian for some time.

The move follows a campaign organised by local councillors and parents after York was hit by a shortage of lollipop men and women due to low pay, shift patterns and a fear of abuse, as well as a dislike of the uniform and the weather conditions they would have to work in. The severity of the situation was revealed by The Press last year.

Holgate councillor Denise Bowgett, who has a child at St Paul’s Primary School and is also a governor of St Paul’s Nursery School, said the news was a welcome conclusion to a drawn-out but committed call for action.

“I’m delighted, after all the effort put in, that we finally have a patrol for this busy section of Holgate Road, close to the schools,” she said.

“It has often seemed as if we would never get to this day, but for the sake of the schoolchildren, I’m thankful that we have.

“There had been some near-misses at the crossing where drivers had not given children sufficient time to cross, but once the new staff are trained, the crossing will be much safer.”

The Water End patrol was rubber-stamped following a campaign involving another Holgate councillor, Sonja Crisp, who is a governor at Poppleton Road Primary School and who delved into the recruitment problems.

“The advertising campaign has helped and I am grateful to council officers for their efforts on this,” she said.

“The safety of children attending schools in the ward is obviously a top priority and that is why we have been persistent in trying to get the SCPOs so desperately needed over the last couple of years.

“My hope now is that the council communicates well with the staff it has recruited and is alert to any problems they may have.

“It must do all it can to retain them, as they are very hard to come by.”