CAMPAIGNERS fearing for the safety of schoolchildren have renewed their calls for action to alleviate parking issues.

People living in and around Hugh Lupus Street in Sharples have been complaining about cars parking and manoeuvring in the cul-de-sac close to Sharples Primary School for the last 20 years.

Videos and pictures have been posted on social media showing drivers carrying out three-point turns in the street, narrowly missing children as they walk to the school.

And now residents are calling for a parking permit scheme for the street to “help cut down on parking issues to improve road safety”.

A statement released on behalf of people living nearby, who did not wish to be named, said: “Residents have persevered with this problem for over 20 years.

“We feel it’s time there was a proper solution put in place so that everyone can just go about their daily lives without the fear of a child being run over, cars being scraped and bumped, or having abuse hurled at us.”

The complaints on Facebook have led to discussion between residents and parents who drop off their children at the school.

Some former residents have even revealed they have moved out of their former homes in the street partly because of the problem.

There are issues with people parking on both sides of the road, despite there being double yellow lines on one side.

As well as asking for parking permits, some have also called for the creation of safe spaces at the school to allow parents to drop off their children.

The issue has been reported several times over the last few years.

Sharples Primary School has also attempted to solve the problem over the years.

The school’s headteacher Alan Hemmings previously said the parking issues had been an “ongoing battle”.

But he stated that the problem was down to a minority of drivers, adding that 90 per cent of parents drive and park responsibly.

A council spokesman said: “A new traffic order is due to be implemented soon, which will see parking restrictions introduced in the form of a single yellow line to operate during certain times of the school day.

“This was proposed to residents, the school and ward councillors at a meeting last April and offered as a compromise to balance the needs of residents and working access to the school.

“The traffic order was confirmed following a public consultation earlier this year.”