A petition has been launched by a mum at Westlea Primary School to add a pedestrian crossing close by to make it safer for parents and children. 

Crystal Doka, who has three children at the school needs to get around 750 signatures before it can be presented to Swindon Borough Council. 

She said: “In the mornings it is absolute carnage. 

“It is horrendous. Especially at the moment because of the roadworks around Westlea, that’s made it 100 times worst. 

“People are parking all over the place, doing u-turns where you have children trying to cross the road. 

“It’s just become really dangerous. I’ve been a parent at the school for 11 years and it’s never been this bad before. Something needs to be done.”

The school’s head teacher Sarah Sumner has backed the petition and urges parents to add their signatures. 

She explained: “Parking has been a nightmare around the school and the traffic, for as long as I’ve been here, is terrible. 

“We’ve tried everything to try and address it. 

“From September we’re going to have a nursery class on site and we’re concerned that we’ll have younger children at risk. 

“I’m very concerned about the safety around the school. 

“We need to have the crossing put through and support from Swindon Borough Council,” she told the Adver.

“We’ve had the 20-mile-per-hour zone put in place and we’ve got signs asking people not to park but people just ignore it. 

“It’s not fair on a lot of our parents who have to come to school, a lot of our children walk in too. 

“You want to be able to come to school safely.”

The borough council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Mary Martin has also given her backing to the call for a crossing. 

“I’m all for it,” she said.

“The particular crossing is tricky because it’s so close to the junction. 

“But within the borough we have a mechanism where requests for crossings and other traffic calming measures are collected and looked at and reviewed under a number of criteria by officers. 

“It’s good that people are putting in their indications as to where they want the crossing. 

She added: “Speak to your local councillor, speak to the parish councillors, that’s the best way for getting it done.”

To view the petition for the crossing go online to change.org/p/swindon-council-westlea-councillors-pedestrian-crossing-at-westlea-primary-school