The head teacher of Soham’s new primary school says she is “concerned” at the speeds reached by some cars when passing the school and has called on drivers to stick to the limit.

Lisa Gregory said parents and children were left feeling vulnerable on the walk into The Shade and added that the problem would only get worse as the number of pupils increased.

She has called for drivers to respect the 30mph limit outside the school and also wants action taken to improve safety.

Ms Gregory said: “I am concerned about the speed that some people drive down Kingfisher Drive, despite the lights flashing to remind people to drive slowly.

“Our parents and pupils have to cross that road in the mornings with buggies, bags and sometimes more than one child. ”Once our parents have tackled Kingfisher Drive, they walk along The Shade. Here parents worry about their children walking along such a busy road.

“There is a silver handrail down onto a more secure pathway but there is plenty of path before that point where the parents do not feel secure

“Down onto the secure pathway, that keeps families off that busy road, the path is lined with a weedy ditch where buggies are getting tangled in the weeds and children are getting hurt by the thistles and thorns.

“We need this area to be tidied up to help with the number of parents using the path. There is also no fence or barrier to protect children from falling into the ditch. This will be an increasing concern as the school grows.”

Ms Gregory added that she was preparing to hold meetings with road safety officers from Cambridgeshire County Council where she would be raising the issues.

She added: “In an ideal world we would like a railing along the length of the road so people feel secure when they are approaching the school but we will have to wait and see.”

The head teacher received plenty of support for her campaign from parents. On ShapeYourPlace, Lucy Gordon said “I have been walking my son to school since he has started in September from kingfisher drive and can not believe how fast some cars are coming along.

“The Shade main road is also very dangerous and we have often observed vehicles speeding or travelling very close to the path that we walk down. We are in full support of a review and we to look forward to finding a solution.”

Lesley Phillips added: “We live off Kingfisher Road and there are lots of large lorries and cars speeding down the road. We walk to school every day and the traffic and crossing the road are a worry.

“Also as the school grows the problem will increase and the parked cars will cause a major problem with crossing the road.”