Parents are joining the campaign to recruit lollipop men and women as a desperate shortage spells winter danger on Oxfordshire's roads.

Across the county, 30 jobs are vacant out of a total 120.

John Crossley, the county's school crossing manager, said: "I am desperately seeking people to patrol crossings. One of the problems in recruiting is that the job we are offering is for half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, and it means people are committed to those times during term time."

He said most school sites did not have enough pedestrians through the day to warrant a permanent pelican crossing and lollipop staff were more cost-effective. At St Michael's School, in Marston Road, Oxford, Chris Jerrett retired as caretaker and lollipop man last year and has not been replaced.

Parent Lynden Guiver, of Crotch Crescent, organised a traffic survey and found 260 cars passing the school in just ten minutes.

She said: "It is horrendous. I am very concerned about the safety of the children.

"But there are not many people who want to be lollipop men or women. We cannot find a parent who can do it and the council does not pay very well.

"We would love a granny or a retired person to give up half an hour in the morning and evening to help."

* To volunteer, contact 01865 815615.

Story date: Tuesday 23 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.