A SCHOOL headteacher has taken matters into his own hands and carried out his own risk assessment of a 'dangerous' junction where a lollipop man isn't being replaced.

Stanley Road Primary School headteacher David Brownsword said the Stanley Road/Wylds Lane junction needs a school crossing patrol after the resignation of the previous lollipop man.

But Worcestershire County Council says it does not meet the required national criteria to be able to provide one.

The authority followed the national procedure, used by all local authorities in England. This meant the authority counted pedestrians crossing both Stanley Road and Wylds Lane at the junction, and vehicles passing through the site, with lorries counting double.

A calculation was then made, based on the busiest half an hour.

A figure of four million or over needs to be reached for a site to qualify for a patrol and, the council say, as it was not reached it does not have the authority to recruit as the site "falls outside of policy".

Mr Brownsword is challenging this, saying the reality is different and to prove it went out, with pupils, to the crossing counting their own numbers and observing the junction.

He said: "This morning (Tuesday) the children again went to conduct a school crossing patrol survey at the junction of Wylds Lane and Stanley Road.

"They counted 90 children only crossing at the junction.

"At a previous survey, on June 25, the children counted 155 adults and children including some elderly folk.

"The children observed several incidences of dangerous driving including a woman doing a turn in the road at the junction, a vehicle mounting the curb so that the driver could pass an oncoming vehicle and numerous instances of drivers not indicating that they were turning into Stanley Road.

"Nothing we observed today changed our opinion that this is a dangerous junction and needs a crossing patrol."

Meanwhile a petition was set to be handed into the authority's full council meeting on Thursday.

Lynn Denham, Worcestershire County councillor for the Cathedral ward which covers the area, has been given permission to present the petition, which includes a paper version with 130 signatures of adults and 205 children, and an online version with 70 signatures.

Cllr Denham said: "There are three schools in a close area. It is a quite a busy route, for people going to Shrub Hill station.

"I fully support the campaign to get a lollipop man back. There are risks there, little children can't see parked cars. There needs to be safety measures."

She added that she understood the county council had offered the school a meeting in September for everyone concerned to further discuss the issue and to review the situation then.