LAST week, The Gazette put the spotlight on the potentially dangerous, and illegal, parking practices of some parents and drivers on the roads outside or near Costello Technology College, in Basingstoke.

We asked if our readers knew of other schools where illegal, or poor parking, poses a potential safety risk to pupils and others - and this week, we put the spotlight on two more schools where bad parking means an accident is just waiting to happen.

WHEN you watch the afternoon pick-up of pupils from Chiltern Primary School, it’s easy to see why there is cause for concern that one of the children who attend the school could get hurt, or worse.

A few weeks ago, parents were sent a newsletter from the staff at Chiltern Primary School after a child was nearly knocked down along Chiltern Way, partly because of cars parked on the double yellow lines outside the school.

Parents were warned in January that they should not park there because it blocks the view for those trying to cross the road – but when The Gazette visited on Tuesday afternoon, around eight cars had pulled up on the yellow lines to collect youngsters at home time.

Parents had also been warned that the police would carry out spot-checks in the area – but this did not deter some people from parking illegally.

Muktie Miah, from Winklebury, Basingstoke, who has a seven-year-old son at the Buckskin school, was among those who decided to park on the double yellow lines.

When asked why, he told The Gazette: “Normally, I don’t park here but there’s no space anywhere else today. Sometimes you don’t find a space because everyone comes at the same time. It’s very difficult.

“I don’t like to park here but sometimes you have no option as you have to collect your child. The school does tell us not to do it but I don’t think it’s dangerous because the cars slow down to let the children cross.”

However, Richard Betts, who has two children at the school, believes the illegally-parked cars are putting the lives of the primary pupils at risk.

The 34-year-old, from Wicklow Close, Buckskin, Basing-stoke, said: “Double red lines are needed outside the school, like they use in London, which means you can’t wait there at all. What would it cost to put a few lines down?

“Does someone need to lose their kid before something is done about it?

“A number of times, we have seen kids nearly getting hit. There have been traffic warden patrols, which stops it for a while, but then it starts again. It’s a nightmare. It’s the cars parking on the double yellows that are causing the problem.”

The school’s newsletter said the situation along Chiltern Way is “not good”, and that the combination of speeding cars and those parked on double yellow lines causes problems for children trying to cross the road.

Caroline Williamson, acting head at the school, told The Gazette: “We have been in touch with the police and highways department, and they have told us that they will be carrying out spot-checks.

“We also remind parents about the need to park considerately with safety in mind, and we have an arrangement with the local church for parents to use their car parking facilities.

“There is also an existing subway outside the school. As a school, we do have road safety weeks where the aim is to raise awareness with children.

“The governors have been liaising with the transport team so that we are kept up to date with their road improvement plans for Chiltern Way.”

*See Thursday's Gazette, on sale now, to read about more parking problems at Chalk Ridge Primary School in Sullivan Road, Brighton Hill.