Council paints over 'school' road marking gaffe

A council has been forced to address a gaffe which saw school markings mistakenly painted on a street where there had been no school for 15 years.

Jane Ashworth, Labour leader at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, apologised to residents of Greendock Street in Longton whose homes lie next to the brightly-painted yellow sign.

She said she was embarrassed by the issue.

The authority said it had taken temporary measures to cover over the markings but a more permanent fix would be carried out at some point in the near future.

"As a temporary measure, we have already painted over the incorrect yellow school road markings on Greendock Street in Longton," a spokesperson said.

"The markings will shortly be removed entirely, leaving the entire resurfaced road in the condition residents rightly expect.

"We apologise again for this error. We got it wrong and have moved quickly to set things right."

The initial works were carried out overnight on Friday, residents told BBC Radio Stoke.

The issue left many of them frustrated - and also concerned about whether they might receive a fine for parking outside their homes.

Council leader Jane Ashworth admitted there "clearly isn't a school" next to the sign and branded it "a mess".

"I'm annoyed for the residents that live there that have been messed about but embarrassed that we made such a mistake," she said.

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