Axe falls on Clydesdale crossing patrols

Karen Struthers (37) was fuming when she learned that the crossing patrol was to be withdrawn at Crawforddyke Primary.

Karen said: "All this will do is discourage parents from letting their children walk to school and encourage them to take their cars, which creates even more problems."

Lanarkians also vented their frustration at the loss of crossing patrols.

Concerned childminder Alison Johnson was fuming that the crossing patrol at St Mary's Primary was set to be scrapped.

And unhappy parents with children at Lanark Primary protested against the loss of their lollipop lady at Braedale Road.

In total six crossing patrols in Clydesdale have been axed with 30 patrols across South Lanarkshire going — an 11 per cent cut.

The patrols will be removed after the Easter school holidays.

In the council's drastically cut 2010-11 budget, which starts on April 1, it was revealed that reducing school crossing patrols would save the council over 150,000 over the next year.

A council spokesman said: "It was agreed that we should take the patrollers away from sites that fail to meet even 30 per cent of the criteria we use for new sites.

"But before any patroller is taken away, the site is risk assessed by a road safety expert.

"Nobody will have to lose their job — it's always been difficult to fill patroller's posts."

For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.