NEW railings are being installed in Baschurch to help ensure the safety of children attending two local schools – as well as the parents and carers who drop them off and pick them up.

The railings, in Eyton Lane, are for Baschurch Primary School and the nearby Corbet School have been funded through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding, following a bid from the parish council.

A Traffic Regulation Order restricting parking and waiting in Eyton Lane and some of the neighbouring roads is also set to be in place for the new school term in September.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for highways, said: “The two schools in Eyton Lane are very popular and serve a wide area of north Shropshire as well as Baschurch itself.

"Ensuring the safety of children and their families is hugely important and I’m pleased that these railings will soon be in place, with restrictions on parking and waiting set to follow in time for the new school year.”

Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Councillor for Ruyton and Baschurch, added: "Eyton Lane is narrow and at dropping off and picking up times gets very busy.

"Many of the parents, grandparents and carers of the primary school children typically wait with their children on the pavements on both sides of the lane for 10 to 20 minutes at dropping off time in the morning, and again in the afternoon when collecting their children.

“At times the crowd can spill off the pavement into the road, particularly on the north side of the lane.

"Cars and school coach traffic is usually moving slowly but we are lucky that there hasn’t been a serious accident in recent years.

“Neither the safety railings nor the TRO provide a long-term solution to a cramped site with two popular schools, but these measures should significantly improve road safety in the short to medium term.”