Traffic wardens are facing so much abuse from parents they are only allowed to work outside schools in pairs or if they are accompanied by the police.

Tonbridge and Malling council has brought in the rule after “previous violence” at the gates.

The disturbing revelation came from Sophie Smith, who supervises the council’s civil enforcement officers (CEOs), in an explanation to a parent with a child at The Discovery School in Kings Hill as to why the new yellow lines and zig-zag parking controls there were not being enforced.

In an email to the dad, Ms Smith said: “I sympathise with the problems you have and your safety concerns.

“Civil Enforcement Officers cannot be at every location at the same time or the same location every day as there are over 40 schools in the borough and most have parking issues of some sort.

“This is further complicated where there have been threats of violence and abuse to our staff as we have to make arrangements for police support at the same time.

“We do not allow our CEOs to enforce alone at schools due to previous violence and abuse.”

Daniel Doyle, a father with two children at The Discovery School, had contacted the local authority to ask it to enforce the new lines laid down last September.

He was prompted to act after seeing a child almost knocked over as a consequence of the poor parking.

Mr Doyle, who walks his own children to school, said: “It seems the council is more worried about its staff being shouted at, than it is about the safety of the kids.”

He said: “The school opened in 2003. It took 21 years before we finally got some lines painted outside the school last September.

“Initially, we did see the traffic wardens once or twice and for a while things were improved.”

“But the wardens never returned and now many people are back to their old ways - parking on the yellow lines, parking on the roundabout and parking on the grass verges.

“They obscure the road and make it very difficult to see to cross safely.”

But it seems, even if the wardens returned, there would be little they could do.

Ms Smith went on to tell Mr Doyle: “CEOs have very limited powers and can only issue Penalty Charge Notices where they witness a contravention.

“CEOs do not have any powers to have vehicles removed. CEOs do not have any powers to deal with obstruction, dangerous parking or preventing access for emergency vehicles or removal of vehicles on the public highway.”

The council is more worried about its staff being shouted at, than the safety of the kids

Mr Doyle said: “It seems Tonbridge and Malling has hired traffic wardens who are reluctant to enforce traffic regulations.

“This at a time when council tax bills are increasing.

“It’s very disappointing.”

Part of the delay in getting yellow lines put down was because KCC did not follow up quickly enough with the painting after the official public consultation was carried out.

The consultation had to be repeated - four times in total - before there was any result.

The head teacher at The Discovery School, Tina Gobell, said: "Unauthorised parking outside of the school is an ongoing challenge; as it is for many schools.

“As a school, the safety of our children is of paramount importance and so any measures that will help keep the children safe will be warmly welcomed."

Parents at the school gate had mixed views on the subject.

Ray Angel thought the yellow lines were actually causing a problem.

He said: “It’s more dangerous now. It’s displaced the parking away from the school, but made other areas more dangerous.”

“I really don’t know what they are trying to achieve. I can’t see the point.

“People are only here for 10 or 20 minutes and then they’re gone.

“Perhaps people who live nearby don’t like it, but if they buy a house next to a school, what do they expect?”

A mother, who wanted to be known only as Charlie, agreed. She said: “I don’t like the yellow lines, because they look really ugly.

“But I also think it’s much more unsafe. With people parking farther away, they are in that much more of a rush, especially if they are running late.”

“It leads to people paying less attention crossing the road.”

Marianna Smith said: “Now it is so hard to find a spot. There’s nowhere to park.”

But Sandra Parsons picks up her grandchild from school once a week. They walk.

She said: “The yellow lines are frequently ignored.

“People park on the double yellows, they park on the zig-zags, but worse they park on the roundabouts, which makes it very difficult for other drivers.”

As Ms Gobell said, bad parking outside schools is not limited to Tonbridge and Malling.

Recently a Maidstone councillor, Claudine Russell, complained about parents who parked on zig-zag lines and blocked driveways outside Marden Primary Academy.

She said: “It’s not car parking. It’s car abandonment. They go wherever.”