PARKING here could kill our kids.

That’s just one of the hard-hitting messages being hammered home by campaigning parents in a bid to improve road safety near a Basingstoke school.

The campaigners are gathering outside Marnel Infant and Junior Schools, in Shetland Road, Popley, every morning and afternoon after concerns were raised about the welfare of pupils.

They are angry that some motorists are leaving their cars in designated no-parking areas, such as on zig-zags and dropped kerbs, making it difficult for children to see the road before they cross it.

A £1million-plus package of improvements to road safety in Popley is in full swing, but more should be done to punish those who flout the law. That’s the view of Stephen McGowan, of Lawrence Close, Popley, who has two children in Marnel Infant and one in the junior school.

He is actively lobbying school and county bosses for improved crossing points and more action against those who park illegally.

He told The Gazette: “People are breaking the law by parking on the zig-zags, making it dangerous for people who are trying to cross the road.

“Children coming in and out of school cannot see round the cars when they want to cross. What is it going to take to stop people from parking there?”

Popley borough councillor Jane Frankum, who also sits on Hampshire County Council, said parents are fortunate that county chiefs are funding road improvements, as it gives them the opportunity to suggest changes.

After approaching county officers, she said they will consider whether a school crossing patrol could be put in place. She also suggested that parents themselves could take turns in getting children safely across the street.

She said: “What the county is doing is great – I don’t know another estate that is having £1.4million spent on it – but I still feel we can go that bit further.”

Danielle Owens, deputy head of Marnel Junior School, said: “We can see the problems because the school has grown so much. It is getting more and more difficult for parents to park.

“This initiative has very much come from the parents. It started out with one or two and has grown to quite a few more.”