“Dangerous” double parking outside a primary school could be solved if parents were willing to walk a few minutes, councillors have said.

Parents dropping off and picking up their children from Captain Cook Primary School in Marton should park round the corner and walk a few minutes rather than clogging up the single carriageway of Stokesley Road with double parking.

That’s what the two independent councillors of Marton East, Cllr Tom Mawston and Cllr Dorothy Davison, have said having received complaints about careless parking presenting a danger to pupils.

“The problem around Captain Cook’s is that parents come in their cars to drop off and collect their children right outside the school on Stokesley Road.

“A lot of them park responsibly, but there are others who park irresponsibly and cause a danger to other road users and pedestrians.”

In March last year, planters were placed on the pavement to prevent drivers from parking on the path along the north-bound carriageway.

But now, Cllr Mawston and Cllr Davison say the biggest problem comes from drivers double parking on the single south-bound carriageway of Stokesley Road.

“There’s a lot of double parking,” Cllr Davison said.

“This is a single carriageway. Nobody could come up here on a bike for example when parents are double parking into the road, getting in the way of the rush hour traffic.

“I think a lot of people could walk, especially those who live nearby.

“Many could walk from home – it wouldn’t take long and it wouldn’t do any harm to walk a little bit.”

One mum waiting for her children to emerge from the school gates recalled an incident two weeks ago when one woman, parked outside the school, had reversed into a man pushing a push chair.

Although nobody was hurt, the potential hazard was clear.

“It’s dangerous, that’s what I’m saying, it’s unsafe for the kids,” she said.

Another mum said: “If I did live nearby I would walk, but when you have to come to school and be at work for 9.15am, if you’re parking in them shops you aren’t getting to work on time.”

She added: “But at the end of the day they’re building more houses and they’re not thinking about the knock-on effects of everything else.”

Cllr Mawston said the problem had been exacerbated by the closure of the car park of the former Marton Hotel and Country Club.

But he said responsibility for parking safely rests with the parents.

“People used to park at the Country Club but unfortunately we had to get that blocked off because of fly-tipping,” said Cllr Mawston.

“But there are still plenty of places only minutes walk away where they could park.

“I think one of the problems is that a lot of parents are dropping their kids off on their way to work and then coming back to pick them up from school.

“There are those that drop their kids off on the way to work, and I understand they may be in a rush but there are options.

“There’s lots of places people can use. Marton Shops car parks, the estates behind Marton Shops – The Willows, Chestnut Drive and the likes.

“All it entails is setting off a few minutes earlier and walking for a few minutes.

“Complaints made against the council or against the councillors are wrong because it’s the parents who park – I’m just appealing to them to show a bit more care and consideration for everyone else.”