HUNSTANTON: ‘Mummy power’ gets the gritters to junior school
Parents are praising “mummy power” after receiving good news in their fight for the road outside their children’s school to be gritted.
Long and winding Collingwood Road in Hunstanton leads to Redgate Junior School and was on Tuesday described as an “ice sheet” by Rita Caldicott, who is the mother of two pupils and a governor of the school.
As a result of the treacherous conditions in the ungritted road, headteacher Nigel Harvey decided it was unsafe to reopen the school on Tuesday, when pupils at most other local schools returned to lessons.
They included Hunstanton Infant School in James Street where Mr Harvey is also headteacher.
He said: “Whereas I felt very confident in opening up the infant school, I felt the state of the approach road to the junior school was potentially dangerous.”
Miss Caldicott and other parents decided to contact Norfolk Highways and seek support from local councillors and NW Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham.
He said: “If Collingwood Road was miles from the main A149, it might be understandable. But it would be a tiny detour for the gritters. I really think it isn’t asking too much.”
Miss Caldicott said the education of children at the school was being affected by the situation.
She said:“We are only asking for a bit of grit.”
A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: “We have been hearing about Collingwood Road from a lot of quarters.”
There was now a reasonable prospect that next winter it would be added to the Priority 3 list of roads , under which it would have been treated several times during the latest spell of freezing weather, he said.
Redgate pupils returned to school as a slight thaw set in on Wednesday morning.
The county council also arranged for Collingwood Road to be gritted on Wednesday night.
The spokesman said easing conditions on main priority routes had made it possible for particular trouble spots like Collingwood Road to be treated.
Miss Caldicott said: “It’s fantastic. It’s mummy power in action.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Friday 24 May 2013
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