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Dad threatened with iron bar outside school

10:01am Tuesday 12th December 2006

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AN ANGRY Newport father is leading a protest against parents parking illegally outside his son's school.

Simon Powell said he was abused by some parents and even threatened by a man with an iron bar for campaigning to stop people leaving their cars on yellow zig-zag lines.

Mr Powell, 42, wants to stop people parking outside Clytha Primary School in Bryngwyn Road, and is gathering evidence so Gwent Police may prosecute.

Mr Powell, whose six-year-old son Joe attends the school, said: "If cars are parked outside the school, children can't cross safely. They can't be bothered to walk and it's putting our children's lives in danger."

Mr Powell last week slapped warning stickers on illegally parked cars.

He said: "I got a lot of abuse and threats. One man got out of his car with an iron bar and threatened me. Luckily I managed to talk him out of hitting me."

Mr Powell reported the incident to police but declined to press charges.

Instead he wants police to prosecute illegal parkers otherwsie he will seek civil prosecutions.

Last Thursday he photographed 10 illegally-parked cars and last night (MON) went to the school with a video camera. He plans to repeat the exercise and hand evidence to police.

Mr Powell says he has the support of a number of parents as well as local councillor Matthew Evans, who said: "It's completely unacceptable that people ignore the restrictions."

Clytha Primary headteacher Ann Picton has written to parents, saying the issue was of "great concern". She has long been worried about the traffic situation.

A Gwent police spokeswoman confirmed a man reported being threatened with an iron bar outside the school but refused to press charges.

She said: "Where there are enforceable parking restrictions on any road we will issue tickets to people breaking the law. Officers continue to carry out patrols in the area of Clytha Primary to take action where appropriate."

The spokeswoman said any evidence collected by Mr Powell would be examined by officers.

Newport council urged parents to consider pupils' safety when parking near schools.

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Your Say YourSouth Wales Argus

Simon Powell, says...
10:13am Tue 12 Dec 06

I urge all Parents, protest before its your child that gets killed outside of one of our schools.

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J, says...
10:22am Tue 12 Dec 06

Good on you for trying!
The police or traffic wardens need to go around all schools and hand out on the spot fines and 3 points to people who park on the yellow zig zags as they have been put there for thier childrens safty, People who park on the zig zags would be the first to complain if thier child got knocked down by another car who couldnt see past the zig zag offenders. Its a problem at all schools, Maybe the school caretaker could be given rights to issue the on the spot fines and put the money to good use within the schools. something needs to be done to protect the children.

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Steve, says...
10:46am Tue 12 Dec 06

Totally agree with the affirmative action that Mr Powell is taking. As I'm about to become a father this situation is just one that concerns me. I live very close to a primary school in Crosskeys, and have seen the rather selfish approach to parking from aprents there. If the police have enough evidence, they should take action. Failing that, have a friendly word with your local traffic warden. On the spot fines will soon put people off - and the warden will easily get their quota!

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dood, says...
11:17am Tue 12 Dec 06

Same problem in the gaer school... you have to walk in the road and have the danger of getting knocked over forced onto our children.

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L, says...
11:53am Tue 12 Dec 06

SAME PROBLEMS UP ST JULIANS. MOST PEOPLE ARE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE SCHOOLS BUT ARE TO LAZY TO WALK. UP AT ST JULIANS INFANTS AND JUNIORS WE HAVE REALLY BAD PARKING PROBLEMS. THE POLICE SNED UP AN OFFICER OR A PCSO THEY GO FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND MOVE PEOPLE ON. THEN WHEN THEY ARE GONE THE PARKING ISSUES START AGAIN. START ISSUING TICKETS OR PERHAPS AN £80 FINE MIGHT MAKE PEOPLE THINK

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Gill Shutt, says...
11:58am Tue 12 Dec 06

Same here in Pontnewydd. When the police or traffic warden turns up they don't do it, as soon as they go the bad parkers come out of the woodwork. Lazy and selfish.

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Simon Powell, says...
12:02pm Tue 12 Dec 06

We should start a campaign that stretches right through the Gwent county, and put a stop to the people who dont care about our childrens lives, parking where they should not.

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sam, says...
2:14pm Tue 12 Dec 06

Simon Powell wrote:
We should start a campaign that stretches right through the Gwent county, and put a stop to the people who dont care about our childrens lives, parking where they should not.
i live rite by a school, and believe it or not its ok here, you only get about 2 on a bad day bringin their car to get their kids. you are rite i do agree but its their kids to that could get hurt not just the ones who walks.a cmapaign is a good idea but would it do any good, i think the ones like the one who came at mr Powell with a iron bar.would strongly disagree.

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jp, says...
2:48pm Tue 12 Dec 06

It's a disgrace that Mr.Powell has to resort to this action. Why aren't the police enforcing the same traffic offences they so readily enforce on motorways? Where are the so called "Community Police"? Chief Constable needs to answer.

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sam, says...
3:26pm Tue 12 Dec 06

i think the police are to busy eatting their dounuts and drinking coffee. your rite u never see them enforcing their duties at schools..

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lewis, says...
4:09pm Tue 12 Dec 06

Parking causes many problems around newport not only at schools but near hospitals on double yellow lines were a car almost hit me( that is diabled drivers being able to park in the most dangerous of places). I totally agreee with what you are doing because an accident will happen sooner or later. That is why those lines are there in the first place. I hope through your efforts that people will begin to see sense and stop there dangerous activitys

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CC, says...
4:27pm Tue 12 Dec 06

Well, we all agree. Now if the police would just stop looking at their CCTV's in their cosy control centre, and go out and take some action, they would be able to happily report in a month that the problem was 95% solved. It's that simple!

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Saan, says...
4:59pm Tue 12 Dec 06

This is the norm across all schools in Newport, I appreciate that like myself many parents work and need to take their cars to school, but many are simply lazy parents who can't be bothered to leave 5 mins earlier and park away from the school. Unfortunately it will probably take a child being seriously injured ow worse to make them take stock and realise that they are endangering their own and everyone elses children

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Simon Powell, says...
5:22pm Tue 12 Dec 06

We need to support the Green Cone Initiative that is being tried of in several schools across South Wales.
The schools get to put out the cones at places where its dangerous to cross, and if anyone parks there they can be fined. It helps make the job of the Lollypop people easier as well. Besides its a lot harder to drive over a cone than yellow lines.

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sarah, says...
6:23pm Tue 12 Dec 06

"Well, we all agree. Now if the police would just stop looking at their CCTV's in their cosy control centre, and go out and take some action, they would be able to happily report in a month that the problem was 95% solved. It's that simple!"

well just goes to show how people are quite happy to make statements abouth things they know nothing about! CCTV is not controlled by the police it is a council function! I think the majority of the police do a good job, however there is so much paperwork that has to be done these days their jobs are almost impossible! Lets stop the paperwork and get the police back out there!

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tjmyerscough, says...
6:29pm Tue 12 Dec 06

A lot of this is caused by snobs as they dont want their children to go to the local school, so they have to be driven.I see some in 4x4s to avoid parking on the zig zags park on the pavement and grass verges.

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Professional, says...
6:31pm Tue 12 Dec 06

A petition needs to be raised and made available to the public e.g. via our new waterfront or in the high street.
Newport Council and Police will see how much of a concern this is.

More rights should be given to schools and or police officers to enforce the rules. Keep our children safe!

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Ken Bradford, says...
8:27pm Tue 12 Dec 06

Parking problems outside schools are nothing new.
One thing tried in my town,which worked, was to send a couple of policeman on pushbikes at school run time to talk to the drivers who parked inconsiderately.
Also this resulted in a warning sign being erected to ask drivers to be more aware of the dangers caused by doing so.
The drivers seem to have taken heed and the problem has all but gone.

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CC, says...
8:39pm Tue 12 Dec 06

I commented above about the police wtching CCTV. If, as Sarah suggests above, that I am wrong about Newport Police using CCTV, then I apologise. I was basing my comment on the many documentary programs I have seen on BBC TV, where the police are clearly in communication with police watching CCTV in a Control Room.

Is it true, then, that Newport has no such facility?

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Lee, says...
10:52am Wed 13 Dec 06

Police are far more concerned with catching people driving slightly over the speed limit than ensuring our childrens safety these days. Its sad...

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Simon Powell, says...
11:01am Wed 13 Dec 06

I have set up a website so that people can comment on how bad it is at their schools.
It's on the communigate.co.uk/gwent/ site and entiltled "Parents against Illegal Parking". Please visit the site and leave a comment.

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Simon Powell, says...
7:36pm Wed 13 Dec 06

I am a Parent, who fully informed the Police, Highways Dept, the School, and the Local Councilor, before I started, filming Illegally Parked Cars, not Children.

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worried parent, says...
11:40pm Wed 13 Dec 06

sorry, i wasnt accusing you of anything untoward but u cannot be safe these days, you have to be very vigilent these days with all these gary glitters about the place!

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Roy Hughes, says...
9:40am Fri 15 Dec 06

Well done, Don't be put off by some of the silly comments being posted. Keep at it, as the way things are at the moment, a Child is going to be injured or killed in Newport. I think you should have taken the iron bar incident further. How dare someone try to threaten you when you are trying to protect our children.

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jackie, says...
2:12pm Fri 15 Dec 06

At least simon powell is concerned about the children's safety,This is a problem all over the country, it's annoying but I can't see an end to it ever,. and Crispien is talking out of his a..e ,what a moronic chancer ever to escape the womb ,a complete numpty.

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Mr Edwards, Shropshire says...
10:44pm Tue 13 Mar 07

Well done for standing up to this dangerous law breaking which is so needless. We have the same problem in Shropshire as I am sure does the rest of the UK. As a national problem I think new school specific traffic law should be considered, possibly with the same approach as to speeding offences with compulsary fines and points.

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