A school lollipop lady quit her job fearing she would be killed by aggressive drivers who forced her off the road.

Just days after Rachel Lawn resigned, a ten-year-old boy suffered leg and back injuries after being involved in an accident outside the Great Horton school where she worked.

Mrs Lawn said she put up with aggressive motorists for two years as they nudged into her while children crossed the road or even speeded up to get past her as she tried to stop the traffic outside Hollingwood Primary School.

And she said she believed some of the culprits were parents of the children she would shepherd safely across Hollingwood Lane every day.

Her resignation comes at a time when many schools across the district are struggling to fill vacancies for crossing patrol men and women while those in the job struggle to deal with increasing volumes of traffic and aggressive motorists.

Mrs Lawn, 31, of Buttershaw Drive, became a crossing patrol woman after giving up her job as a retail assistant in Bradford city centre.

But after two years she felt she could carry on no more because she was putting her life at risk.

She said: "I hung in there for the pupils but in the end I had to think of my own eight-year-old son Michael. He needs a mother.

"Some of these drivers are just lunatics, they have got to be made to realise that a car is a killing machine.

"It is frightening going out there armed with just a lollipop stick these days.

"Quite often I almost ended up on the bonnets of cars that were literally pushing me in the leg. That was a daily occurrence.

"I just cannot understand the mentality of these people. They have a complete disregard for the safety of the children."

The school's head teacher Rosilyn Owens said there were serious traffic problems outside the school and the crossing patrol had become a dangerous job.

She said: "It makes me very upset that people behave in this way when she is there to make sure children get to school safely. There is a big problem here with impatient drivers and speeding drivers.

"I used to feel a lot better knowing that Rachael was there with the children and we will find it difficult to replace her."

Carole Whittingham, of the Brighouse-based road safety campaign group SCARD, said she felt angry at the "contempt" shown to Rachel and her colleagues.

"They are there to safeguard the lives of our children," she said. "Aggressive drivers should be punished as criminals."

A spokesman for Education Bradford confirmed there were a number of vacancies for school crossing patrols but that the figure was no higher than with other authorities.

He said: "We were very sorry to lose such a good crossing patrol person as she did an excellent job. Unfortunately we have not been able to fill this vacancy."

He added that those who performed the role were equipped with reflective fluorescent coats and signs and given extensive training before being allowed on the roads.

A police spokesman said: "The police's school liaison unit and traffic department have been working closely alongside the Council's road safety team to address issues outside the school."