A puffin crossing built as part of the Safer Routes to School improvement works failed to operate in time for the new term.

The failure of the crossing in Sandpit Lane, St Albans, close to Lancaster Road left parents and children having to risk crossing a busy road with no safety routes, as local mum Penny Carr explained.

She said: “It’s been really difficult to cross the road, but you just have to do it.”

The mother-of-two is concerned that a child could get knocked over becaue the crossing is near two schools and a nursery.

She said it was frustrating that the work was intended to make walks to school safer when it was far from safe by not being switched on in time for the new term.

After reporting the faulty crossing to HCC, she claims they failed to act on the problem, simply stating it was out of their hands as the project was third-party work.

A spokesman for the county council said the crossing, which was installed as part of the Maple School Safer Routes to School improvement works, suffered from engineering issues.

He apologised for the delay and said they had hoped the crossing would work before the new term.

Now the county council is working with contractors, Osborne, to open it as soon as possible.

The spokesman added: “In the meantime we are exploring temporary measures to improve the environment for pedestrians crossing Sandpit Lane.”