A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy escaped with just a bump to his head after he was hit by a car on Chester Road in Grappenhall last Friday afternoon.

The youngster was thrown into the air after he rode out into the road on his scooter on his way home from St Wilfrid's Primary School.

Amazingly, he only banged his head and was back in school on Monday.

A lollipop lady usually supervises the crossing, but she retired just before Christmas, and because of a major shortage of lollipop ladies she may not be replaced.

Police say that the collision could not have been avoided and praised the driver for her quick reaction, but parish leaders are calling for improved safety at the crossing.

Clr Ted Lafferty explained that he had been pushing for a pelican crossing for some time, but for now his priority is to get a lollipop lady reinstated.

"The school is about to expand, which means more children crossing in the morning and the volume of traffic will be greater," he said. "But in the meantime we need to make sure children can get to school safely."

Howard Claxton, Warrington's traffic management and road safety manager, said that the borough council would assess the location for the provision of a pelican crossing, and that councillors would consider the results of this assessment at a meeting next month.

However, Caroline Moseley, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for Warrington South, said: "It's a disgrace that on such a busy road the council has let children cross to school without aid."