I was interested to read your article about the lollipop lady who retired from her post at Southborough Lane.

In the article it states she retired because she was fed up with drivers not stopping, to be truthful I'm glad she has gone.

The woman was a menace. OK she had a job to do and a worthy one at that but I would be surprised to find out if she was a driver herself.

I am a professional chauffeur and on more than one occasion I have witnessed her in action in Southborough Lane.

On one trip I was approaching her station (where she stood), with caution I add, and saw her on the opposite side of the road talking to a group of people. She then used the 'keep left islands' as her crossing point. Later she moved further down the road when I next saw her a few weeks later.

I was always taught that when using an island area, to cross the road, even a zebra crossing, it is counted as two separate crossings.

On this occasion she started to cross the road to my right with her charges. I was by then very close to the island, going slowly luckily. Whilst still on the right-hand side of the road, she grasped her lollipop holding it like a tennis racket and swung the stop sign in front of my car like striking an object with a hammer through the gap between the island and shouted "stop". She still as yet had not reached the island.

Her action caused me to brake hard or hit her lollipop. I opened my window and told her that her actions were dangerous and she should know better than to try and stop a car like that.

Her on one side and her lollipop on the other.

I add, I was myself on a school run with an autistic child passenger and escort to Lingfield.

Her actions could have easily caused an accident but this time it didn't luckily.

Without knowing the details about the driver who was prosecuted for hitting her hand I can't comment, but if she acted like she did with me it's not surprising she got hit by a car.

It appears she thought her lollipop was a magic wand and could stop a car in spilt seconds whilst she was not even on that side of the road.

I wish I had heard about this case before it had come to court. I would have come forward to tell the court how dangerous this lollipop lady was because this is only one of the incidents I've witnessed and heard about her from other drivers.

I am a licensed private hire driver of over seven years experience (of 38 years driving knowledge and excellent driving record) who averages 2,000 miles a week with no accidents in that time so I do know what I'm talking about.

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