PUPILS campaigning to keep a crossing patrol won their fight after speaking at a meeting in County Hall.

A class of youngsters from Our Lady and St Joseph's RC Primary School, Leadgate, attended Durham County Council highways committee meeting on Monday to express their opposition to the authority's plan not to replace their school lollipop lady Minnie Richardson, 80, who recently retired after 32 years.

Among those who spoke at the meeting was nine-year-old Catherine Mears, a partially-sighted pupil at Our Lady and St Joseph's, who described having to walk into the village to cross at the traffic lights with the help of friends, despite living just opposite the school.

"A lollipop person would help me to cross the road safely and mean that I would be more independent," she said.

Fellow pupil Anna Costello, 11, highlighted the increase in traffic with parents dropping their children off since Mrs Richardson's departure.

She also mentioned problems with people parking on yellow lines near the school.

At the same meeting, plans not to replace a crossing patrol at Ebchester CE Primary School were also discussed.

Councillors who had visited both sites accepted the children's views and also drew attention to a Government drive to encourage them to walk to school.

They voted in favour of keeping the patrols.