Gridlock on a Whitehaven road is putting school children at risk says leading councillors.

Mayor of Whitehaven Brian O’Kane says he is worried over the Red Lonning area, outside Campus Whitehaven, which houses St Benedict’s Catholic High School and now Mayfield School.

The road is gridlocked at peak times with children crossing a busy road to their parents' cars and he fears an accident is just waiting to happen.

In a recent Whitehaven Town Council meeting, Coun O’Kane, a former teacher at St Benedict's School, recounted a horrifying moment from his past when he saw a child “head over heels on the bonnet of a car”. "Thankfully that child got up and ran off," he added.

And he says his connection with the school and his experiences makes this cause very personal to him.

He said: “The situation outside St Benedict’s has been ongoing for 20 years. During that time there has been all kinds of requests to put safety measures in place.”

Long-standing concerns are compounded by an increase in cars outside the school due to the pandemic with bus services cancelled. And the original layout did not account for a greater number of pupils on-site with Mayfield School now sharing the road.

Coun O’Kane said: “It is going to be a matter of days or weeks before a child is seriously injured.”

St Benedict’s School headteacher Emma Jackson said: “We would welcome any intervention whatsoever that would make our children safer.”

Councillors are concerned for the safety of everyone on Red Lonning.

Deputy mayor of Whitehaven and councillor for Hillcrest Julie Rayson added: “There is no way an ambulance could get anywhere near those properties. It’s absolutely gridlocked.

"Parents picking up children have to park in a layby, to get to the layby children are crossing a busy road." There’s sometimes three abreast, they’re just getting stuck. “We just want to work with whoever we need to.”

She added that the councillors are not criticising the school or the parents.

A spokesperson for Cumbria County Council said: “Following discussions with the school, we have arranged for some further investigation works, including traffic counts and road safety surveys with a view to identifying some traffic related improvements to help aid some of the issues on site.

"Through the support of Copeland Local Committee, money has been made available for the 20/21 financial year, we’ll be able to confirm how much and what it’ll be spent on once investigative work has been completed.”