A BOROUGH'S army of lollipop men and women face an uncertain future after council bosses announced they were reviewing their road crossing service.

Blackburn with Darwen Council plans to have the review completed and changes in place by the start of the autumn term.

The man responsible for the review today refused to rule out the possibility of some crossing patrol staff being axed.

The move has already prompted concern from parents and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has said nothing should be done which would put children at risk.

Executive member for regeneration for Blackburn with Darwen Council Coun Andy Kay said: "There are 33 people employed as crossing patrol officers in Blackburn and Darwen and it will not be known whether this number will be increased or reduced in order to improve the service.

"The review should be completed by the beginning of the autumn school term.

"I want there to be a reliable crossing patrol service so people know someone will be there to help children across the road.

"There have been problems in some areas with reliability and I want us to be able to man all our crossings all of the time.

"The review will aim to see how we can do that."

The review has been launched by the regeneration department of Blackburn with Darwen Council after it took over running the service.

Since Blackburn with Darwen became a unitary authority, it has paid Lancashire County Council to provide the school crossing patrol service.

Lynne Pickup, 48, has stood at the corner of Johnston Street and Addison Street for nearly four years.

She starts at 8.20am for an hour in the morning, before she comes back to catch the lunch time break at 12.45pm for half-an-hour. She then returns at 3.10pm until 3.50pm when the children finish school.

She helps the children from Wensley Fold Primay CE Primary School cross the road and also those from the nursery on Addisons Close.

Even the absence of crossing patrol staff for one day provokes anger among parents.

Parents in the Intack area were left seething earlier this year when they had to manage without a lollipop man for five weeks after the previous one retired.

Some crossings could be amalgamated so that they are manned for longer, or new patrols sets up using staff deployed from crossings deemed to be ineffective.

Lib Dem leader Paul Browne said: "I cannot believe the possibility of cutting patrols is even being considered.

"These people do a wonderful service and the council should be praising them for it, not seeing if they are effective."

A spokesman for safety organisation RoSPA said: "School crossing patrols are an important provision for getting children across busy roads."

Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson said: "I shall keep a close eye on this review.

"Obviously Blackburn with Darwen Council has to ensure it gets the best service and value for money from its lollipop people.

"However, I shall seek to ensure that no children's safety suffers as a result."