AFTER a second near miss, Mickley First School is calling for action to protect its pupils.

For as the children enjoy the school’s playground, they are vulnerable to flying masonry from the wall above.

On Sunday morning, headteacher Andy Hudson was alerted to an incident in which a car had left the A695 road, collided with a planter and narrowly avoided crashing into the school’s peripheral wall.

Mr Hudson said that this incident was the second near miss.

He said: “The school playground is very vulnerable to the consequences of an accident.

“Around five years ago, someone was taken ill at the wheel and crashed through the wall. Fortunately it was during the summer holidays.

“But the playground was covered in debris; we still have dents to the playground where some of the stones hit.

“Without the planter, that car would have been through the wall on Sunday.”

After the first incident, the school painted a yellow line across the playground.

Children were not to play past the line, in order to minimise the risk to their safety.

But after Sunday’s near miss, Mr Hudson and local county councillor Anne Dale are renewing calls to improve road safety on that stretch of the A695.

Coun. Dale said: “It is a big risk and we’re trying to get everybody working together to see what we can do to make it a safe area.

“Because this is a strategic route, we would like the county council to think again about bringing in a permanent 20mph limit here.”

On Tuesday, programmes officer for highways safety Dan Fraser met Coun. Dale and Mr Hudson to discuss the issue.

He said: “I think potentially we would be looking to put bollards for about 25 metres along the footpath as a safeguard.

“Any school on a main road is a high risk. With a permanent 20mph zone, we would have to look into it further.

“I know the class of road doesn’t lend itself to it.”

A meeting is to be held at 9.15am next Tuesday in the school hall for parents and community members to discuss highways issues in the area.