PARENTS are worried that a child will be killed if school-run drivers continue to park outside a school on the edge of Worcester.

In the mornings and afternoons, parents and carers are dropping off and picking up children who attend Whittington CE Primary School using a narrow access road off Church Lane, Whittington, despite pleas from parents not to do so and numerous notices in the school's newsletter.

One parent, Catherine Hunter, whose 10-year-old daughter Rhiann and seven-year-old son Cameron attend the school, said there had always been a problem but there had been a couple of near misses in recent weeks.

Mum Jayne Hopson said one woman was nearly run over when a car mounted the kerb, while a youngster had a near-miss when another parent left the car park of the Swan pub, which is opposite the school, after collecting her child.

"She reversed out of the car park as a child was crossing over and she didn't see him," she said.

"A couple of parents screamed out and he jumped backwards."

Mrs Hopson said she has also seen people park their cars on corners and even on top of onroad markings which tell drivers not to park there.

"It's in the highway code that you cannot park outside a school," she said.

"There's no shortage of parking ever if you go further down the road.

There's no excuse. It's crazy and it's an accident just waiting to happen. If there was a need for a fire engine or an ambulance at the school it would just not get there."

She said a number of parents had written letters of complaint to Worcestershire County Council and had also approached headmaster Gary Richards with possible solutions to the problem, but so far nothing had been done about it.

In a statement, Mr Richards acknowledged there was a problem with parents using the approach road and said he was "very concerned" about the situation.

He also said meetings had been held with police and the county council to see if double yellow lines could be painted on the road.

He said: "The safety of children at our school is a continued concern of the school governors and myself and we continue to press for measures that improve routes to and from our school."