SPEEDING drivers almost knocked down two groups of children walking to school in Lytchett Minster.

Officers from the No Excuse‬ team were in the village on Thursday and Friday last week.

One set of officers spent the entire morning in Dorchester Road close to the school after locals residents reported a number of motoring issues.

During the morning school rush the team witnessed near misses with two sets of school children by drivers both distracted by their phones and speeding.

Sergeant Stuart Pitman, from the Dorset Police no Excuse Team, said it was part of the team's work to help improve safety around schools.

"People are getting really passionate about bad drivers outside of schools but the thing is a lot of locals don't even notice bad driving any more because they are just so used to it," said Sgt Pitman.

"During the morning we witnessed some motorists approaching quite a sharp bend at speeds exceeding more than 40mph.

"The most concerning was one vehicle that spun on the corner near to the entrance to the school due to excess speed.

"Around schools safe driving is paramount because children will just run out into the road without thinking sometimes and drivers need to be aware of that and take appropriate caution."

The No Excuse team visited a number of schools across the county in January and February in an attempt to tackle dangerous driving outside schools.

But Sgt Pitman believes the problem is far greater than parents rushing to drop off their children.

"Society has gotten so wrapped up with social media and the ever increasing hectic lifestyle that driving is something most people don't even think about," he added, "They get into their cars and drive without much thought of where they are going and how they are handling that vehicle.

"What we are doing is trying to give drivers a bit of a reality check by making them aware of the fact they are driving too quick or unsafely because they are distracted by their phone.

"And also it's a wake up call to people so that they realise that they might get caught and that there are consequences."