Campaigners fighting for safer streets near a cluster of schools earmarked for expansion have urged county council chiefs to give as much weight to safety as the need for more school places.

Wilmington Safer Streets (WSS) wants to work with all the schools involved, as well as the county, borough and parish authorities, bus and coach companies, and not against them in their fight for road improvements.

As we reported last week, the group wants to see improvements to Common Lane in Wilmington, which is home to a nursery, a primary and two secondary schools, with a third in the immediate vicinity, serving more than 3,000 children.

Three are earmarked for expansion, taking pupil numbers to 3,607, as Dartford borough council faces a pressing need to provide more secondary school places over the next five years.

Campaigners say the road, which only has a pavement running down one side, is already too narrow and lives are at risk, with bus drivers being forced to mount the kerb.

One campaigner, Stacey Brown, said: “This is not a ‘no’ to expansion, it’s a no to expansions that are ill-thought out or don’t consider the safety of residents.

“Even though Kent County Council has been very supportive of WSS, and equally we are aware that funding is an issue, all we can ask is that the safety aspect of the village is given as much priority as the education needs of our children.”

As well as parents dropping off children, and staff and sixth formers driving to the schools, almost 90 coach and bus journeys are made along Common Lane every week day, serving the schools.

One private company, DJ Coaches, is said to have seven vehicles which travel twice a day to Wilmington Boys’ Grammar, turn round and then go back up to Wilmington Girls’ Grammar.