A DAD fears for his children’s lives every time they walk to school as parked cars force them into the middle of a busy road.

Phil Hughes is pushing for the county council to extend a pavement up to his house, at the top of Outrigg in St Bees, so he can walk his two young children safely to and from the village school.

However, the council said it has no plans to introduce any traffic calming measures.

Mr Hughes, 48, said something needs to be done, as the five-minute walk is extremely dangerous for Amelia, five, and Daniel, eight.

“My children are sometimes scared because we have to walk in the middle of the road,” said Mr Hughes.

“When we’re walking around the cars we are holding up the traffic, but we have no other option.

“It is the council’s obligation to provide a safe walking route to school and if they can’t, they have to provide transport.”

He added there were other families affected. Outrigg is not the only area around the school where there is a problem with traffic and cars.

Headteacher Emma Sharp said staff were working with the parish and the county council, as well as parents, in a bid to tackle the issues.

Some residents have complained to the school about drivers parking irresponsibly and have even reported near-misses with cars and children.

The school is also pushing for a lollipop person, but before it can fund one, the county council has to carry out surveys.

A parent is also trying to organise a group transport scheme for children who live outside the village to try and ease congestion.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said there are no plans for traffic calming in St Bees but that the authority was “monitoring the situation” in the village.

“We would also be happy to talk to local residents who wish to raise any concerns,” he added.

The council’s school transport criteria for the current academic year states if a child lives under the statutory walking distance (two miles for children under eight-years-old and three miles for children eight and over) a safe route must be available.

If the route is considered to be unsafe, it will be assessed and transport could be provided.