LOLLIPOP lady Kathleen Elsey is being forced to hang up her school crossing patrol sign after being replaced by £40,000 worth of traffic technology.

But the woman who has seen youngsters safely across Bishopstoke's busy Alan Drayton Way for 11 years is fuming about being made redundant.

Kathleen thought it may be the beginning of the end when a local campaign was launched last year to get a pedestrian crossing for hundreds of children attending Stoke Park junior and infant schools.

A petition attracted nearly 1,000 signatures and, last February, a new toucan crossing was unveiled.

She said: "When the petition was raised I thought my job might be at risk - but I was assured by the organisers and by Councillor Glynn Davies-Dear that my job would be safe.

"Now I have had numerous parents tell me that if they had known I would lose my job they would never have signed the petition. I certainly think people were misled."

Mrs Elsey did have problems with some drivers jumping red lights when the crossing was first opened and has been on leave since the end of March.

But she recently received a letter from Hampshire County Council saying that the authority had concluded there was no longer a need for a school crossing patrol following a series of risk assessments and advice from Hampshire Police that motorists might receive conflicting signals if a lollipop person remained on site.

She said the county council had offered her other patrols, which she had been unable to accept, and had also tried to find her alternative employment.

A Hampshire County Council spokeswoman said: "In a situation like this we would not be in a position to guarantee someone's post."