EXCLUSIVE Furious locals hits out at ‘cheeky’ school run mums who park outside their homes and drive around ‘like loons’ as they slam council’s ‘useless’ CCTV bid to stop them
- Council bosses considering rolling out cameras to three more Grimsby schools
Locals living near three schools where CCTV has been installed to clamp down on the school run have branded the experiment a flop.
Council bosses are considering rolling out the cameras to three more schools in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, after dishing out scores of fines for selfish parking by parents.
The technology has already been trialled at Signhills Academy and Queen Mary Avenue Infant and Nursery School in Cleethorpes, and Old Clee Primary and Welholme Academy in Grimsby.
But householders who have endured years of misery from being blocked in and abused by short-tempered parents say the spy cameras have just moved the problem further along the street.
Those living closest the school entrances also risk being fined themselves if they park outside their own homes during restricted hours.
John Walker, 59, said: ‘Before they cameras come it was hectic. I asked people parking in my drive to me. ‘They would shake a fist at me and say, “F*** off or you will get one of these.” The cameras have knocked the problem back. It is a brilliant idea’
Council bosses are considering rolling out the cameras to three more schools in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, after dishing out scores of fines for selfish parking by parents
Grandmother Gill Haywood, 58, has a husband being treated for cancer and they often need to be in and out their driveway for hospital appointments.
She said: ‘We only moved in at the end of March. It does get busy. They park all over the place and it is nightmare to get out the drive because they totally block us in.
‘They don’t park by the school entrance anymore. They park up here. So it has not solved any problems.
‘I come to door and tell them we need to get out urgently and the cheeky mums say, “We will just be two minutes.” Then we have to wait an hour or two for them to move.
‘They drive around the side streets like loons, like no kids live around here. We are going to have to chop off part of our garden wall just so we can get in and out.
‘I come out and stare at them. I have a really good death stare now. But we should not have to be on watch when my husband is poorly with cancer.
‘If someone is parked outside we have not got a cat in hell’s chance of getting out. I would never block someone’s drive.
‘I have been called all sorts by the parents. My son lives with us and when he gets home he has to park down the street. The summer holidays are a delight. We can get in and out when we want.’
Local mum Danielle Adekola, 34, said: ‘It is still a nightmare. They are not bothered. It is not a deterrent they would rather pay the fine. They park on the pavement in front of prams and if you have two or three kids you can’t get past them’
Locals living near three schools where CCTV has been installed to clamp down on the school run have branded the experiment a flop
The technology has already been trialled at Signhills Academy and Queen Mary Avenue Infant and Nursery School in Cleethorpes, and Old Clee Primary (pictured) and Welholme Academy in Grimsby
Simon Minor, who lives by the entrance of one school – Old Clee – said: ‘Before the cameras we could not get on our own drives because of people parked across them. ‘Before the cameras people just used to ignore the yellow zig zags and the whole road was blocked. So it has made life a lot easier’
Householders who have endured years of misery from being blocked in and abused by short-tempered parents say the spy cameras have just moved the problem further along the street
Another resident Amanda Davis, 49, stormed: ‘The cameras are bloody useless. At school run, we cannot access our driveway at all.
‘We cannot get in and out during the school run which starts at 2.45pm and can last until 5pm because of after school activities. It is a nightmare.
‘It has always been bad and we knew there would be issues when we bought a house near a school but it still irritating.
‘I don’t think the cameras have even stopped people parking by the school entrance. They are still parking all over the place and I have not heard of anyone even complaining about being fined.’
Eric Wilson, 65, whose back garden is overlooked by one of the 360-degree angle cameras, is also seething about the invasion of privacy.
Grandmother Gill Haywood, 58, has a husband being treated for cancer and they often need to be in and out their driveway for hospital appointments. She said: ‘We only moved in at the end of March. It does get busy. They park all over the place and it is nightmare to get out the drive because they totally block us in’
One of the CCTV cameras installed. Those living closest the school entrances also risk being fined themselves if they park outside their own homes during restricted hours
He said: ‘The parking did not bother me because I am normally at work even though it is chock-a-block. The only thing that bothers me is the camera looking over my back garden.
‘We did not know they were putting it in. They did it eight months while I was at work with no notification or anything. I have been thinking of getting a ladder and unplugging it.
‘All that is needed to stop it is a 20mph speed limit rather than 30mph. My mate has a wife who works at the school and got fined £70 for dropping her off.
‘Though, having said that, I did come home once and found someone parked in my drive. They just said, “I will only be two minutes.”
‘The people living near the entrance have to park in their driveway. If they pull up in front they get a £70 fine.’
Nicola MacDonnell, 34, said: ‘I finish work at 2.30pm and I have to park on double yellow lines because parents are already here very early to get a space.
‘I cannot ask people not to park outside because it is free rein. People are still parking on dropped kerbs and corners so my daughter cannot get past when she walks home from school.’
Eric Wilson, 65, whose back garden is overlooked by one of the 360-degree angle cameras, is also seething about invasion of privacy. He said: ‘The parking did not bother me because I am normally at work even though it is chock of block. The only thing that bothers me is the camera looking over my back garden’
Grandmother Delores Dixon, 59, said: ‘I have heard people say, “I will just take the fine. I am not bothered. I have to park somewhere.” But it is so dangerous.
‘The children are having to dodge in between cars. They park on your drive and if you say anything to them you just get abuse so you just have to keep your mouth shut.
‘So it has not stopped them at all. So many people have been parking down here that they are breaking the pavements by mounting the kerbs and then we get complaints from the council.
‘We had to tell the council it is not our fault. The parents even pull into our drive so they can turn around. So the cameras have not done anything.
‘There is a heck of a lot of children come in the morning. There are swarms of them. Admittedly, there are not a lot of places to park but a lot of parents are in walking distance of the school.
‘We live down here and would not let the grand kids come home from school because there are so many cars.
‘The only solution would be to have a traffic warden posted there all the time. Then people would do as they are told. But that is obviously not going to happen.’
Grandmother Delores Dixon, 59, said: ‘I have heard people say, “I will just take the fine. I am not bothered. I have to park somewhere.” But is so dangerous’
Another local mum Danielle Adekola, 34, added: ‘It is still a nightmare. They are not bothered. It is not a deterrent they would rather pay the fine.
‘They park on the pavement in front of prams and if you have two or three kids you can’t get past them.
‘We have seen a child minder with a double buggy who could not get past having to walk in the road.
‘Those who are caught on camera get three warnings before they get a fine, which is also silly if they are causing a danger.’
Another resident, who asked not to be named, added: ‘We have tried and tried to get help and no one will. We have tried everything. I have taken photos and sent them to the traffics wardens.
‘Nothing was done. We had to take the kids to the doctor one day and could not get out for half an hour due to the parents blocking us in.’
But Simon Minor, who lives by the entrance of one school – Old Clee – said: ‘Before the cameras we could not get on our own drives because of people parked across them.
‘Before the cameras people just used to ignore the yellow zig zags and the whole road was blocked. So it has made life a lot easier.
‘Some parents would park and then go into the school for 20 minutes and we just had to wait for them to get back.’
Another resident Amanda Davis, 49, stormed: ‘The cameras are bloody useless. At school run, we cannot access our driveway at all. We cannot get in and out during the school run which starts at 2.45pm and can last until 5pm because of after school activities. It is a nightmare’
Neighbour John Walker, 59, also gave the experiment the thumbs up. He said: ‘Before they cameras come it was hectic. I asked people parking in my drive to me.
‘They would shake a fist at me and say, “F*** off or you will get one of these.” The cameras have knocked the problem back. It is a brilliant idea.’
North East Lincolnshire Council announced this week the experiment will be extended to Stanford Junior School in Laceby, Scartho Infants’ School, and Waltham Leas Primary.
Again, cameras will be installed outside the school gates before the start of term in September.
Drivers caught stopping on the yellow zig zag lines will be fined £70, discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days.
Councillor Ron Shepherd said poor parking ‘has to stop and I’m optimistic that this is the solution’.
He said he was frequently seeing parents ‘stopping the car right outside the gates in areas that aren’t suitable for parking, and parents getting out and walking their child to the gates abandoning their vehicles’.
‘The solution, quite simply, is to either allow your child to walk to and from school if that’s appropriate, or to find a suitable parking space when dropping off your child,’ he said.
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