A COUNCILLOR’S urgent calls for a pedestrian crossing near a school to be fixed after a worrying near miss involving two pupils were finally heeded this week.

The crossing, on Station Road in Bourton-on-the-Water, was installed in 2013 and is used by children from Cotswold School, but Cllr Paul Hodgkinson said it had been out of action for three weeks.

Cllr Hodgkinson was involved in the campaign to have the crossing installed and said he had previously raised the issue several times to no avail.

“The pedestrian crossing was installed three years ago as a result of calls from myself, as well as a teacher at Cotswold School, who started a petition,” he said.

“We were delighted at the time because the crossing is used by pupils from Cotswold School and Bourton Primary, as well as residents.”

However, around three weeks ago, he said the ‘lights failed’.

“I’ve raised the issue four times with the county council and they have promised it will be fixed. It’s beyond a joke.”

He said several parents had contacted him to say they have witnessed ‘near misses’.

“Parents have been on the phone to ask what is being done. It has caused difficulties during school opening and closing times, with children scurrying across the road.”

One resident tweeted Cllr Hodgkinson on Tuesday saying: “Just witnessed two school children nearly get hit by a speeding car as traffic lights to help them cross to school don’t work.”

A GCC spokesman said that the issue is a ‘cable fault’ and is being dealt with by Scottish and Southern Electric (SSE).

He said: “We were first made aware of this problem on November 21 and raised this with SSE on the same day.

“Due to the location it was raised as a 24 hour emergency. We were advised that the fault had been fixed.

“We were made aware that the repair had failed again on the November 24 and issued a new fault.”

A spokeswoman for SSE confirmed that the fault had now been fixed.

She said: “A generator has been supplied and fitted so the lights are now working.”