CONCERNS have been raised after two children were among four people injured in a crash outside a Bournemouth infants school yesterday morning.

Emergency services were called to the junction of Cranleigh Road and Beaufort Road, outside Stourfield Infants School, shortly after 8am.

The crash, which involved a grey Volkswagen Passat, registered to a Bournemouth woman, and a red Nissan Juke, registered to a Bournemouth man, took place at the four-way traffic lights.

The road was closed in both directions between its junctions with Beaufort Road and Stamford Road with diversions in place.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said no serious injuries were sustained in the collision, although two adults and two children received treatment from paramedics.

South Western Ambulance Service transported two patients to hospital and two others were treated at the scene by our paramedics.

One mother, who travels in the area every day and asked to remain anonymous, said she could not believe there had not been more crashes outside the school before.

“That area just seems to be especially dangerous, particularly around school hours. Parents park on the double yellow lines and there is no room for cars to pull in and let others through. Parents cross the road in-between parked cars," she said. "They don’t seem to use the lollipop attendant or the traffic lights.

“The school have often written to parents about the issue It will go quiet for a few weeks and then it will go back to how it was.”

The collision came weeks after the Daily Echo reported schools in Upton, Poole, launched a competition for pupils to design a road safety sign in a bid to highlight the problem of cars parking dangerously near their sites.

The campaign was sparked by an incident in which an eight-year-old boy had to spend a night in hospital after suffering leg injuries in a crash near Upton Junior School.

While the full circumstances of the collision outside Stourfield Infants are not known, Southbourne West ward councillor Lisa Lewis said she would talk with parents and school staff to discuss any concerns.

“I will definitely look into it (road safety around the school),” Cllr Lewis said. “I know some of the parents and I will definitely ask for their thoughts on the matter and the teachers would be good people to ask.

“There are a lot of measures already in place with speed bumps, barriers and the children statues at the side of the road.”

Cllr Bob Lawton added: “It is a concern (traffic issues around the school). There is a 20mph speed limit and there are road humps to slow traffic down.

“There are yellow lines which can lead to punishment.

"We have a lot of safety measures in place and we continually review them around schools and have a good relationship with schools.

Richard Pearson, BCP Council highway design and road safety manager, said: “BCP Council has a commitment to road safety around schools which we take very seriously to protect our children and young people.

"We have installed 20mph zones outside most schools in the conurbation, and are committed to installing additional safety features where needed."

"Outside Stourfield Infant and Junior Schools there is a 20mph zone with various traffic calming features including road humps and speed cushions. BCP Council also employs over fifty school crossing patrollers who assist children to cross the most challenging roads.

"Through our STEPS and Bikeability programmes, the Council provides pedestrian and cycle training for school children to enable them to walk, cycle and cross roads safely.

As part of Dorset Road Safe, BCP Council works with partners to provide a wide range of educational materials to support schools and Dorset Police undertake targeted enforcement work as needed.

"As part of its annual review, the Council evaluates all road casualty information to help prioritise its road safety interventions.”