WHEN it comes to the safety of school children, there are no adequate substitutes for a lollipop lady or man.

With budgets forever being squeezed by government cutbacks, you can understand why Worcestershire County Council has chosen to stop funding the patrols in locations where there's a zebra or pelican crossing nearby, but that doesn't make the decision correct.

No matter how often we tell kids to wait for the green man and look both ways before crossing, they will not always follow that advice.

Can you really put a price on the safety of children? Because the pupils who have lost their lollipop man or woman are definitely less safe now.

As one parent said, lollipop women and men are a very visible reminder to drivers to slow down and stop.

But, perhaps more importantly, they prevent children from risking crossing the road when traffic is moving – and let's be honest, many kids will take that chance if they think they have enough time.

Sadly, the true cost of this decision will only be felt when a child is hit by a vehicle.