THE FIRST steps have been taken to ensure children walking to a Hyndburn school get there safely.

At the latest Huncoat Area Council meeting it was agreed to grant £13,000 for a scheme to demolish part of the embankment on Lynwood Road and lay a proper footpath.

The road leading to Huncoat Primary School, more commonly known as Fish Lane, has posed problems for several years but Councillor Dave Parkins continued to campaign for something to be done.

The narrowness of the route and the speed of traffic coming down the lane has made it difficult for parents escorting their youngsters to the school from the lower side of Huncoat and the Within Grove estate.

Coun Steve Walsh, who joined Coun Parkins in the campaign 18 months ago, said: "It is very important that this work is done so that the children can travel to school safely.

"A lot of drivers are inconsiderate to those who travel to the school on foot and drive both fast and recklessly.

"Since the traffic calming measures were installed on Station Road, Fish Lane has been used as a 'rat run', which puts parents and children at risk.

"We welcome this proposal and are confident that the full council will also back it. It is vital they do so because of health and safety implications."

If the full council agrees with the proposal, then a detailed design will be put together for the logistics of the footpath.

This will be taken to the area council's next meeting in February and the work will go ahead if there are no objections.

Headteacher David Price said : "We are very pleased and the sooner the project gets started the better.

"Over the course of the school year we have several parents who mention speeding motorists at peak times of the day when they are taking their children to and from school.

"But it is not just parents. A number of residents who use Fish Lane as a short cut have commented, too.

"We send letters twice a year asking people to be vigilant on Fish Lane but without a footpath it has been difficult to advice the children where to walk.

"It is definitely going to be much safer for parents taking their children to school when the footpath has been built."