WORRIED teachers and parents are calling for road safety measures outside a Southampton school before a child is seriously hurt.

Youngsters at Highfield Primary School must cross a road in order to reach the school playground from the junior site.

It means that staff have to carefully supervise every break and lunchtime during the school day so the pupils can play safely.

The school, in Hawthorn Road, currently has just one playground supervisor at lunch and parents have had to step in to temporarily cover.

They are now campaigning for Highcrown Street, which splits the site, to be blocked off to traffic near the school.

Deputy head teacher Marilyn Smith said: "The children are always adequately supervised at all times while they cross the road, but there is always a risk as there are cars going up and down it all the time.

"Cars are always parking around here, which can make it quite dangerous.

"We certainly don't want an accident to happen before something is done about it.

"We have been advertising for more lunchtime supervisors for 18 months and it is a problem other schools in Southampton have had as well.

"But our problems are probably exaggerated by the fact we have a health and safety issue with the public road going between the school buildings and the playground."

A city council spokesman said: "Both the education authority and the highways department are aware there are problems with Highcrown Street."