Loyal lollipop lady Mary Hogan has refused to cut her hours shepherding youngsters across a busy road - because she fears a child could be killed.

The 63-year-old great-grandmother stays at her post unpaid until after lessons have started, rather than see a latecomer cross the A338 Hungerford Road in Wantage alone.

Wantage-born Mrs Hogan, who lives at Orchard Way, said: "You get lorries coming down the hill every day past the school and at the moment there's no barrier outside.

"Sometimes I stand in the middle of the road and cars still don't stop. I've even threatened to throw my lollipop at some drivers before now.

"It's disgusting that they've cut the hours but I'm not stopping. I look on them as 'my kids', and they still have to come and cross here."

Mrs Hogan has been the crossing warden outside the Wantage Church of England junior school for the past six years.

She saw her monthly salary cut from £142 to £85 earlier this year, when Oxfordshire County Council drastically reduced wardens' hours because of budget cuts.

Police do not officially classify the road as an accident blackspot - but Wantage community officer Pc Pete Butler said: "I would say it is quite important to have a lollipop lady here.

"Although the speed limit is 30mph we do get a lot of speeding vehicles.

"I do not know what the figures are but I would say it is a dangerous road which certainly needs the kids being supervised."

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman John Crossley said that from June 1 all lollipop patrols across the county had their hours cut from one and a half hours per day to just one hour.

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