WORRIED mum Glenda Elder has called on Hertfordshire County Council to sort out traffic problems outside a busy St Albans school, claiming it is only matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

Mrs Elder says the constant stream of lorries and coaches outside Beaumont School in Oakwood Drive make it impossible for pupils and parents to cross the road safely.

She has set up a working party with other residents and school representatives, calling for a new entrance or exit point at the school.

The mother of two young children said: "I have been campaigning to get something done about the problem for almost seven years now, but the general message seems to be that there has to be a fatality in the road before anything can be done."

Her campaign has received the full backing of St Albans MP Anne Main, who said the situation is becoming intolerable for pupils and residents A petition with more than 120 signatures complaining about the problem was originally presented to the county council in October 2003, but nothing has happened. Another petition was handed to the county council in May, but still no action has been taken.

Mrs Main now hopes the county council will consider finding an alternative entrance into the school via Hatfield Road.

She added: "I hope the council will revisit suggestions for a new entrance near the Bunch of Cherries pub. This appears to be a solution favoured by both the school and residents.

"Failing that long term possible solution of a new entrance, in the short term I hope the school continues to explore the possibility of creating a second pedestrian entrance for its pupils further down from the main entrance."

Oakwood Drive contains the only entrance in to and out of Beaumont School along with the entrance to Oakwood Primary School further along the road. Mrs Elder says heavy traffic at school opening and closing times has severely damaged the road surface.

She added: "The road is in such a bad state that kids are forced to cycle on the pavements because they are so unsafe, but that just causes more problems for pedestrians and parents with young children."

A county council spokesman said it is working with the school to solve the problem. The highways department has introduced a safer routes to school scheme at Beaumont to encourage more pupils to walk and cycle to school.

The spokesman added: "We are proposing to put waiting restrictions outside the school and double yellow lines to make it safer to cross, but it takes time to implement."