A BLIND mum's campaign for a safer crossing for school children on a busy Blandford road has taken a step forward.

Mum-of-three Emelye Purser, 34, has welcomed news of a County Hall survey to ascertain demand for a lollipop lady for children crossing Bournemouth Road near the Tesco roundabout.

Emelye was hit by a car while crossing the same road with her baby son just before Christmas in 2006 and suffered head injuries and a broken pelvis.

The young mum, whose son Ernie escaped the collision with minor injuries, gave the survey a guarded welcome.

"It's good news and it's progress. It will help the school but a permanent crossing is needed for the people of Blandford St Mary. Other areas of Blandford have wonderful crossings," said Mrs Purser.

Judy Baker, the head teacher of Blandford St Mary primary school, echoed Mrs Purser's cautious optimism, saying the appointment of a lollipop lady would be an improvement on the current situation.

"I welcome anything that makes our school safer. Ideally, I would like a fixed crossing. It would be there as a fixture for the whole community," said Mrs Baker.

Cllr Chris Tomlinson, the district member for Blandford's Portman ward, said measures to protect pedestrians had not kept up with changes to the area.

"The school's catchment area has increased since it changed to a primary school. Tesco has expanded. There are lots of heavy lorries moving around to service the supermarket and the brewery," said Mr Tomlinson.

Alan Proctor, a road safety officer with Dorset County Council, said he hoped to complete a traffic survey in the area within the next couple of weeks.

A calculation made on the results of his survey would form the first part of a process to ascertain the need for a crossing guard, said Mr Proctor.