POLICE swooped yestreday on pushy parents clogging up traffic outside a school with dangerous parking.

Headteacher Alan Wright, of Aldersbrook Primary School, Ingatestone Road, Wanstead, was so concerned by the precarious journey pupils have to take to their classes that he contacted Wanstead Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Upon seeing that young children have to run a gauntlet of illegally parked vehicles Police Community Support Officer Jill Kitson decided to launch a project to tackle the issue.

She explained: "We have had a lot of complaints about parents parking on the zig zag, yellow lines and double parking when dropping off or picking up their kids.

"The headteacher said that we need to do something as parents are not listening and are just stopping in the middle of the road.

"We have been doing newsletters and the children have been designing posters for a competition with the winning one being laminated and put up on the school gate."

And after stationing two community support officers and a police constable in the area it was not long before drivers started to behave themselves.

She added: "It's fine when we patrol as they all park properly and then the parents come up to thank us and tell us we are doing a great job. But as soon as we are gone they are back up to their old tricks.

"There's plenty of parking places around there but the parents are just being lazy. The head has said it's getting better now but it's still not good enough as it's dangerous and the children don't feel safe."