WORRIED parents have criticised plans to remove a veteran lollipop lady from a busy Redditch road.

Pat Hemming, aged 76, has served the community for 32 years, safely crossing children on Easemore Road.

The children are from St Stephen's First School in Mabey Avenue, off Meadowhill Road, and before its closure, St Stephen's Middle School.

The crossing is currently being reviewed by Worcestershire County Council to assess if it meets the authority's criteria, with a decision due to be made in three weeks' time.

Since the review was announced, Mrs Hemming has collected two pages of signatures from parents who are concerned about safety should she be made redundant.

Mrs Hemming, who patrols the road at 8.30am till 9am and at 2.55 until 3.25, is concerned that people avoiding the speed bumps will have an accident and hit a child.

She also argues that although the council say on average only 12 buses go up and down the road in the half-hour before and after school, she claims there are sometimes up to 20.

"I would feel devastated if just one children was hurt," she said.

"I would do the job for nothing if someone got injured- but then they wouldn't let me because of the insurance.

"I always check on the children - sometimes they run off from their parents as children do, but I say 'just wait you are not allowed' and they to do wait.

"What if I am not there to stop them?"

Parent Tony Jarvis, who has two children who attend St Stephen's, said: "If she is not there I could see an accident happening."

"Taking children to school every morning is essentially a danger.

"She (Mrs Hemming) is so upset - she is worried there will be an accident.

"I have seen people move onto the other side of the road trying to avoid the speed bumps - it is worrying."

A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: "All school crossing patrol sites are reviewed periodically with reference to national criteria that is used by all local authorities. If a site no longer meets the necessary criteria, it falls outside of Worcestershire County Council school crossing patrol policy and is considered for closure.

"Pedestrian safety is our priority, and it is important to ensure that school crossing patrols are provided in locations where they are most needed."