“It is only a matter of time before someone is killed.”

That is the grave message being echoed in a campaign to get a pelican crossing put in place outside Twelve Apostles RC Primary School in Leigh.

A petition that has been started to introduce the safety measure has attracted around 400 signatures.

Mum-of two Hannah Waddington, who works as a childminder and takes several pupils to the school, said: “It is a busy road especially around school times and I think that having a pelican crossing outside would ensure children arrive and leave safely.

“Sometimes it is that bad that parents have had to go in the middle of the road to manage the traffic which is really dangerous of course.

“We do have a lollipop lady but there is no cover if she is off ill or absent.

“Parents I have spoken to think there needs to be a crossing otherwise someone will be killed.

"Even if there was speed bumps put in place we would be happy with that."

In response to concerns expressed about the issue, Wigan Council has said its crossing service is provided under the guidance of the national School Crossing Patrol Service guideline.

The local authority added that it takes the safety of children very seriously.

School crossing points in the borough are graded from A to D with A being the highest and D being the lowest.

Points marked as A and B are always covered but cover for crossings with a grade of C and D are only given cover “when staffing levels allow”. The crossing point at Twelve Apostles is graded as Grade C.

Mark Tilley, assistant director for infrastructure at the council, said: “We are working with the school and they have identified a volunteer to undertake the crossing patrol role as an interim once they have completed the appropriate checks.

“We regularly advertise for replacement school crossing patrols from the local community and the recruitment process can take a number of weeks depending on the response.

“The school have also signed up to our ModeShift Stars scheme to help to alleviate the parking problems around the school entrances and they have been offered road safety education to minimise the risk for children crossing the road.

“We would ask parents and carers to be extra vigilant when taking their children to and from school.”