A Cottingley mum fears her children and other pupils are at risk from congestion largely caused by parents outside their school.

Susan Downing claims that without safety measures outside Cottingley Village Primary School an accident will happen.

Under the education reorganisation the school has moved onto one site at the former Stoney Lee middle school and numbers of pupils attending have jumped from 250 to 450.

A travel survey sent out by the school to parents revealed around 250 cars were arriving at the Cottingley Moor Road school each day on top of usual rush-hour traffic.

But attempts to reduce this by encouraging parents to walk have failed.

Mrs Downing, of Northfield Crescent, who has two children aged five and seven at the school, said: "It is like coming out of Bradford City football ground with traffic parking up anywhere and cars trying to get as near as they can to the school."

Sarah Collinge, mother of eight-year-old pupil Amie, described the scene as "chaos".

"Cars are parking in a turning circle area at the front of the school which is only meant for dropping disabled children off," she said.

Head-teacher Christina Briggs said the school had tried to reduce the problem by writing to parents asking them to park courteously or come on foot. And special safety assemblies had been organised to raise children's awareness. She said the school's recommendations to reduce the speed limit from 30 miles an hour had been rejected by the Highways Agency.

PC Ian Hemsworth said he was monitoring the parking situation. A spokesman for Bradford Council's Road Safety Unit said: "The Council is working closely with the school and police to develop a travel plan."

Meanwhile, parents of pupils at Sandy Lane School are calling for a lollipop lady to help their children cross a busy road at Prune Park in Allerton. Under the schools reorganisation, Sandy Lane pupils are catching coaches to Cottingley to study in the former first school building on School Street.

But parents fear for their safety at the congested pick-up point and say the only solution would be for Bradford Council to provide a crossing patrol person.

Sandra Tinsley, of Rudding Avenue, Allerton, who has a ten-year-old daughter at Sandy Lane School said: "We did not ask the Council for this move but we are asking them to help us get a crossing lady.