Bedford Driving Lessons

A lollipop lady has claimed she was forced to quit her job after being told the way she held her stick breached health and safety rules. Infants in the Worcestershire town of Hindlip face a dangerous journey to school after 61-year-old Judy Gaisford resigned her position after being threatened with disciplinary action for not holding her lollipop pole upside down. Council chiefs claimed Mrs Gaisford had confused passing drivers by holding her stick aloft but she argued it was equally dangerous to ‘swing a 6ft pole like a majorette’ while there were children nearby. ‘I’m not a Jedi with a lightsaber and this isn’t Star Wars, I don’t want to be swinging the thing around like that,’ she said. ‘Surely swinging a 6ft pole around when there are children nearby is more of a health and safety issue? ‘I resigned because I disagree with the council’s policy – I think it is wrong and puts pedestrians at risk.’ A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson claimed the rules are in place to ensure drivers have a clear indicator of exactly when they must stop. ‘When guidelines are not followed, this leads to confusion with drivers either slowing down whilst the patrol is not operating, braking suddenly or driving straight through and therefore putting pedestrians at risk,’ she said. More