Road deemed too dangerous for lollipop man to cross

Ron Warrick had been helping children cross a busy road for 18 months as a patrol officer. But he has now been stripped of his lollipop and banned from stepping off the pavement because town hall bosses say it is too dangerous.

So now he just presses the button at the pedestrian crossing and watches while youngsters from St Mary’s Primary School in Shenfield, Essex, walk across the road. ‘It’s absolutely bonkers,’ said one mother who did not want to be named. ‘Whoever heard of a lollipop man who cannot go into the road, it’s like the punchline to some ridiculous joke.



‘If the council think it’s too dangerous for Ron to cross the road then why on Earth do they think it’s safe enough for our children to go across there.’ Mr Warrick was instructed to stay on the pavement after £30,000 was spent improving safety at Tabor’s Corner junction.

As part of the package, traffic light phasing was changed to give people an extra two seconds to cross the road. After the changes, it was deemed too dangerous for Mr Warrick to step into the road in case he could not get back before the ‘green man’ started flashing. Essex County Council said his job could be done ‘most effectively’ from the pavement.