Furious residents build wheelie-bin blockade to stop school run parents dropping off kids
LIVID locals fed up with parents parking on their road for the school run decided to take matters into their own hands and built a wheelie-bin blockade.
Residents in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, got sick of their quiet cul-de-sac being used as a car park and staged a protest on Monday afternoon.
The homeowners of Halton Place said they had "had enough" of their driveways being blocked by brazen parents.
According to Metro, the street leads onto an emergency access gate for Cleethorpes Academy which the secondary school have repurposed as another entrance due to the pandemic.
The school said they did so because of "Government restrictions regarding bubble groups and staggered start and finish times" and continue to use it due to the increasing number of students.
One furious resident, who has lived on the street for 23 years, told Grimsby Live: "We understood that the emergency access gate for the school had to be used during the pandemic and it was to keep everyone safe.
"But now they want to use it permanently and we are just not having it. We were promised that it would only be used during the pandemic. But now they want to make it permanent.
"We get parents parking across our driveway. We have to organise our lives around school times," they continued.
"Try telling your GP that you can’t make it for a 9am appointment because you can’t get out. There are people who have lived here for over 30 years.
"People bought their houses because they were told the gate was only an emergency access."
Another said they were angered by kids continuously riding bicycles along the pavement and said they were met with abuse when they tried to complain.
Local Tory councillor Bob Callison, who joined the bin blockade in support, said, "There are many round here who are elderly, and they can’t get out of their homes or get the home helps they need.
"The residents are letting people walk along the road but there won’t be any cars coming through to pick up children."
But the wheelie-bin demonstration didn't go down well with some parents - who called the cops after pupils were delayed at the end of the school day.
"My lad has special needs and needs to be picked up from the same spot every day otherwise he has a breakdown. I don’t block anyone’s drive. It needs sorting," one parent said.
Humberside Police confirmed they attended to "reports of a small protest and highway disruption" on the road at 2.30pm on Monday.
The principal of Cleethorpes Academy, Janice Thorpes, explained she the school had been discussing with councillors to find a solution to the school pick-up stalemate.
However she made clear she will persist in allowing children to use the entrance because "safeguarding our students" takes precedence.She said, "This arrangement has proved very successful and has enhanced student safety as the entrance into the Academy from Grainsby Avenue is too small for 900 plus students, and there are a large number of cars parked on both sides of the road.
"The Academy has grown substantially since opening in 2010 with a 20 per cent increase in numbers on roll. As a result, we have now decided to use both entrances to the Academy.
"We are exceptionally disappointed that the residents of Halton Place and a local councillor have taken this action as it has caused considerable disruption to the Academy and has caused distress to students."
No comments: