Angry residents are fighting for improved road safety as three schools in their village prepare to expand.

A nine-month campaign backed by more than 450 households in Wilmington is urging Kent County Council to address serious concerns over traffic in Common Lane.

The road 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 of the education establishments 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 to serve existing school rolls and lives are at risk, with bus drivers being forced to mount the kerb.

Ali DeBuc, Stacey Brown, Jenny Wright and Amy-Jane Horton are spearheading Wilmington Safer Streets, and say their children have been affected by the unsafe environment.

Mum-of-two Mrs Brown, 39, was spurred into action when parking problems meant an ambulance struggled to reach her home off Common Lane to tend to her ill five-day-old baby on a weekday afternoon in January.

Describing their battle as a “David and Goliath situation”, she said: “We understand the need for expansion; we all have children.

“This is about caring in the community and understanding the concerns of residents.”

She added that the parish council had said the village was fast becoming a “no-go area” during the school run.

Common Lane provides access to Asquith Day Nursery and Pre-School, Wilmington Primary School, Wilmington Academy and Wilmington Grammar School for Boys.

It also serves neighbouring Wilmington Grammar School for Girls which, together with the nursery and academy, is expected to increase its pupil numbers.

The campaigners said the problems were exacerbated by dangerous and obstructive parking, poor road maintenance and speed restrictions, overgrown foliage from the school grounds, and insufficient parking provision and sustainable travel plans.

Jenny Wright, whose daughter was hit by a car in 2011 on her way to Wilmington Grammar School for Girls, said: “It is very difficult for children to make a safe judgment about the speed of cars and when to safely cross.

“There is virtually no let-up in the traffic, and this is only going to get worse with the schools expanding.

“This is why we have asked for the schools to provide internal footpaths on site, a very simple measure that could save lives.”

The campaign has included extensive leafleting, the setting-up of a Facebook page and holding a Walk the Road week last month that was attended by representatives from all the schools, bus companies, and the parish, borough and county councils.

Mrs Brown said Common Lane was “ridiculously narrow”, with almost 90 bus and coach journeys alone being made along it daily.

“It’s insulting to the community that we are once again left to deal with unsafe roads, congestion, lack of safe crossings, increased carbon emissions, nuisance parking and our children’s safety being put at risk.

“Common Lane is not fit for purpose. Numerous children and adults have already been hit by buses and coaches.

“The transport solutions associated with the school expansions are not sufficient given the impact to the local community and the safety and well-being of pedestrians.”

KCC was not able to comment on the proposed school expansions, but cabinet member for transport Cllr Matthew Balfour said: “I have met with Wilmington Safer Streets and we are all working together to support the schools to improve access and address road safety issues.

“We have undertaken a considerable amount of road safety engineering work in the past to tackle specific issues, including speed humps and a zebra crossing.

“We have spoken with Dartford council regarding parking enforcement, and we are working with our colleagues in planning to make further suggestions to improve the situation in light of the planned expansion.”