A MOTHER’S bid for a zebra crossing outside her child’s primary school in Warminster has received a boost after the town council pledged £3,000 as a result of her campaign.

Elle Pope, 34, of Giles Hollow, presented a petition of almost 300 names to Warminster Town Council, which on Monday voted to pay for an investigation into road safety outside Sambourne Primary, in Sambourne Road.

Wiltshire Council will now assess the dangers of the road and the feasibility of a crossing outside the school.

However, the crossing campaign has cast doubt over the future of the school’s council-employed lollipop lady.

Mrs Pope said she was delighted after councillors pledged their support at a transport and environment committee meeting held at Dewey House in North Row.

“I’m really pleased. There has been an outstanding amount of support and I think that shows that everyone wants it and needs it,” she said.

“If you ask people in the playground everyone says they need it but it’s not just for the school, it will help everyone.”

The idea received support from all town councillors on Monday but Cllr Andrew Davis warned it could spell the end for the county council’s lollipop lady, who has been covering the morning and afternoon school patrols since 1979.

Mrs Pope, who has a five-year-old son, Ben, at the school and whose four-year-old, Tom, will start in September, said: “We don’t want the lollipop lady to go, even with a crossing children are in a world of their own so we hope it would be put in to help the lollipop lady. It would make her job a lot safer and easier.”

Town and district councillor Pip Ridout offered her support for the crossing.

She said: “I would support any move to make getting to any of our schools in Warminster safer but in particular at the top of Sambourne Road, which is very dangerous.”