MP Harold Best has thrown his weight behind calls to upgrade a pedestrian crossing in Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Mr Best says he asked Leeds City Council to meet him at the Main Street crossing several weeks ago, but got a slow response from the council.

He is not happy that the council will not update the crossing to a pelican, and will are panning to paint the lines on the current one.

His interest comes after he gave his backing to Pool lollipop man William Shears, who patrols on the crossing.

Mr Shears has battled with the council about his own safety, as well as that of the children and parents when traffic speeds through the village.

And now Mr Best has got behind the campaign and hopes that two meetings will be arranged - one between himself and the chief engineer of the Highways Department and one between Mr Shears and representatives from West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council so they can see the problem of traffic first hand.

Mr Best said: "I want these meetings arranged so we can be shown exactly why there can't be a pelican crossing installed at the site of the zebra crossing, and I am a little angry that the council have taken so long to reply."

He said: "The state of the traffic in Pool is a major worry and I will back Mr Shears as much as possible."

Mr Shears has already said he fears for his life while the crossing is in its current state, and he can't see an end to the problem in the form of brighter lines and the new pelican crossing.

He said: "Cars speed through the village and even with a new pelican crossing, it won't stop them, in fact it will make the problem worse because cars will speed up when they have passed the new crossing because it has held them up, so by the time they get to my crossing, they will be speeding.

"I have near misses every morning and I still consider transferring to a different area."

Leeds City Council has already said that a pelican crossing on the site of the zebra crossing is impossible.

A spokesperson said: "We have fully investigated the request for this zebra crossing on the main street in Pool in Wharfedale to be upgraded to a pelican crossing.

"However, unfortunately it is physically impossible for us to do this as the footway is simply not wide enough.

"We have offered to meet with Mr Shears, Harold Best MP, together with a police representative at the site to discuss the current situation fully."