Following complaints from disgruntled parents and residents Park Gate police have begun a new campaign to discourage dangerous parking outside Locks Heath Schools.

Working jointly with Fareham Borough Council Enforcement Officers, PCs will be patrolling outside Locks Heath schools for several days each month from now on. £30 fines will be issued to anyone parking illegally when dropping off or picking up their children.

Double-parking, parking on zig-zags or double yellow lines and pavements, and obstructing dropped kerbs or driveways are some of the offences they will be watching for.

“I can’t believe how selfish some parents are,” Says Mrs T, whose son attends Sarisbury Junior School, “I’m always seeing people in a rush for work and parking really badly. You’d think parents would be more careful. I mean - it could be their own child put in danger one day couldn’t it.”

Sergeant Dave Spacey of Park Gate Police is confident these new measures will help.

“We hope that completing these operations will help to educate parents dropping off their children that it is not acceptable to block driveways, pavements and roads even for the briefest moment of time, and that in some cases their thoughtless actions could be putting children attempting to get to school at a very real risk of injury.”

Many working parents need to drive their children to school en route to their workplace. If you are one of these how do you manage in the mornings?

Has your driveway ever been blocked by inconsiderate parking?

Have you got any suggestions how congestion outside schools first thing in the morning or at the end of the day could be relieved?

If so we’d like to hear your views at LocksHeathPeople.