MP praises pupils over Ludlow road safety campaign

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said the push by children and staff at St Laurence Primary School in Ludlow would not only bolster the safety of the pupils but also residents.

Mr Dunne spoke out after visiting St Laurence's to see the school's new headteacher Stephen Matthews.

The MP was also reunited with Year 6 pupils who recently visited him in the Houses of Parliament to present their case study calling for safer access to the school.

Mr Dunne said Shropshire Council had now agreed to undertake a formal survey of traffic speeds in Old Street in Ludlow to see if there was a case for spending on traffic calming measures to be made next year.

He added: "Year 6 pupils have shown a great interest helping improve the safety environment around their school which could also help local residents in Ludlow.

"This is a great example of engaging young people with the way decisions get made in our community."

Roger Curry, proprietor at Bodenham's department store in Ludlow, is a governor at St Laurence's.

The 48-year-old father-of-two said he was alarmed by the speed of traffic on the road which came to his attention last year when his then-four-year-old daughter began running down Friars Walk, which connects with Old Street.

"Many parents use Friars Walk as a back way into the school," he said.

"I noticed how vulnerable children, particularly of that age, are. Children like to run.

"We're in an area where the roads are very quiet - and then you get to Old Street.

"The visuals there are horrific, there's a bend in the road and there are often cars parked on the side of the road.

"Mothers come with their prams and they're almost having to stick them out into the road to look.

"If children come out of there, even walking, traffic does not have the time to stop."