A group of parents have taken matters into their own hands to stop inconsiderate parking and driving during the school run.

Parents of children at Chalkwell Hall Junior School, in London Road, Leigh, have become so fed up with drivers mounting curbs close to children and parking on double yellow lines.

To tackle the problem head-on, they have decided to wear hi-vis jackets and act as traffic wardens.

Kirsty Chalvi, 43, from Leigh, said she witnessed inconsiderate parking when she was walking her child home and a driver drove onto the pavement in front of her.

She said: “I had a word with the driver but she wasn’t really interested and that’s when I thought, no one is going to listen to us, we need to be physically standing there.

“The aim is to get the drivers to consider what they’re doing. We have problems with parents dropping their kids off, they will park on double yellow lines, zig zags and pull onto the pavement.

“It’s not a new problem but we are trying to educate them and get them to change their behaviour.”

The parents decided to position themselves “along some of the worst stretches of road” wearing the luminous jackets in attempt to make the area safer.

The group of parents on patrol said they have had mainly positive feedback from other parents that are grateful for their efforts.

However the school have received complaints and the mums often have explicit words shouted at them from within the vehicles.

Ms Chalvi said: “By and large we’ve had a lot of people appreciate what we’re doing and we’ve had a lot of positivity coming from pedestrians.

“Short term plans are just to continue as we are.”

The group have said that they aren’t forceful or demanding but simply suggests to those dropping off that it is not safe to do so.

The parents position themselves outside the school between 8.15am and 9am and then again at 3pm.

Another mum Louise Ford said: “We are on the boundary of the school catchment and our walk is only twenty minutes, so pretty much everyone could walk in if need be. However, every day, it feels like parents and kids are running the gauntlet to get to school.

“Most of us have stories of our kids nearly being mown down as other parents mount the kerb, pull up on the zig-zags outside school and park right on junctions. The situation is really getting out of hand.”

The parents say they are not criticising other parent’s choices to drive to school and they understand that for some it is necessary.

They would just prefer for parents to think about how and where they park when dropping off and picking up their children.

Chalkwell Hall Junior School had not commented on the situation at the time of going to press.