PARENTS shouting at residents, parking dangerously and the safety of children having to cross between parked cars will be discussed by councillors this week.

Problems around parking outside schools have reached crisis point in some areas, leading councillors at Stockton Borough Council to look at the issue in more detail and come up with a plan to try to improve matters.

Among site visits to some of the worst-affected schools to see the problems for themselves, councillors took inspiration from Darlington Borough Council which has managed to increase the numbers of children walking or cycling to school through a number of initiatives.

Problems outside schools included residents near schools being unable to access their own driveways – and being verbally abused by drivers.

Parents were also parking on roundabouts, on junctions and on bends just to be as close as possible to the school.

Some cars near Ingleby Mill School, in Ingleby Barwick, were double and even triple parked on the roundabout.

The school said in its newsletter: “This is simply not acceptable and as well as being illegal, it poses enormous risk to our children.

“The police have been made aware of this because of the risk to children. This is an accident waiting to happen, and whilst we appreciate the difficulties with parking, nothing is more important than the safety of our children.”

Reasons parents gave for not walking to school included not having enough time, having quality time in the car with their children, and having to walk or cycle along a busy road full of fumes.

They also felt the roads were too dangerous and that the distance to school was too far to walk.

Despite visits by enforcement officers, problems were persisting at many schools including St Mark’s Elm Tree Primary in Stockton, the Links Primary in Eaglescliffe, Prior’s Mill Primary in Billingham, Whitehouse Primary in Stockton, Ingleby Mill Primary in Ingleby Barwick and Village Primary in Thornaby.

The council also received a written submission from Norton Primary Academy which complained of a “hazardous” parking situation, with not enough parking provision, which said: “It’s only a matter of time before a child or parent steps out and is hit. We very rarely see parking enforcement wardens policing the area. However, on the odd occasion they are on-site, parking is much improved.”

Councillors from Stockton Council’s cabinet will meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.