Worried parents are stepping up their campaign to find a school crossing patrol to keep youngsters safe in Idle.

The latest move - a leaflet drop in the village area - follows unsuccessful attempts to find a willing recruit.

The leaflets have been produced by parent Colin Brear after he saw a child narrowly escape being hit by a car on the junction of New Street, High Street and The Green.

"The car was coming from the direction of Idlecroft Road and the lad was trying to cross the road on his way to Thorpe Middle School," he said.

"The driver slammed his brakes on and the lad managed to jump out of the way.

"It was so close - he was lucky not to be killed."

Mr Brear, whose ten-year-old son Matthew goes to the school, got in touch with head teacher Garth Wilson before running off the leaflets asking for volunteers to take the job.

Mr Wilson said: "It's a very dangerous junction and I'm surprised there hasn't been a serious accident before.

"There are several roads meeting, one of them narrows and there is a blind corner.

"We keep telling the children time and again to take extra care there.

"There was a crossing patrol years ago but since then the council has advertised and put up posters but no-one has come forward."

In July the T&A reported how members of the Idle and Thackley Community Council were trying to come up with ways of making the junction safer so someone would take the job.

Chairman of the school governor Ann Ozolins said residents were still pushing to get the pavement extended so people did not have to walk out into the road to see if it was safe to cross.

"We need to find a solution soon," she said.

The volunteer who takes up the post will be fully trained and work for six hours a week at £4 26p an hour.

A Bradford Council Education spokesman said: "We support Mr Brear's initiative to try and find a new school crossing patrol in Idle as we rely on the local community to help fill these vacancies. We helped distribute the leaflets around the village last week, but so far no-one has come forward."

Anyone interested should ring the council's school crossings patrol co-ordinator Tony Merifield on Bradford 751960.

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