PARENTS claim they are being “palmed off” by a council which won’t invest in making a dangerous school road safe for children.

Mums and dads of children at Janet Duke Primary School, in Laindon, say their kids will continue to be at risk until Essex County Council installs a crossing outside the school.

Essex County Council’s highways panel has agreed to spend £2,500 repainting warning lines to show there is a school, but residents say the council is spending on aesthetic upgrades so it doesn’t have to pay more for a zebra or pelican crossing.

Mum-of-five Sarah Steel, 34, of Somercotes, said: “It’s going to take someone getting killed before anyone starts listening.

“Some drivers are oblivious to pedestrians. They park wherever they want.

“It’s an everyday occurrence.

They park all the way down the road and round the corner, all in the drives of the houses.

“Yes, the lines are being painted, but people won’t take notice.

To me, that is not good enough.

“I am a mum and I will keep campaigning. The traffic is getting worse.”

Dad-of-three James Tape, 35, of Dickens Drive, added: “This isn’t going to let drivers know to slow down.

“We are being palmed off by the council. We don’t actually want it to spend this money because if it does, it will be very difficult to get it to reach into its pockets for a crossing.

“This is a waste of money which could be put towards a zebra crossing.”

In August, Essex County Council told residents it would carry out a survey to see where the crossing could go,but no date has been set to investigate.

A highways liaison officer at the county council said: “The local highway panel has agreed to extend the existing ‘school keep clear’ markings to see if this helps visibility. This measure was suggested by Essex highways engineers and will take place next year.

“A survey to see if a crossing would be suitable will be taking place in due course. The outcome of the survey will be reported to the local highway panel.”