Wellies are the footwear of no choice for students at a St Albans secondary school battling to get there along a flooded footpath.

And Sandringham School on The Ridgeway has given special dispensation to its pupils to wear Wellington boots if they have to walk along the flooded footpath from Jersey Lane which is used by students from Sandridge.

The footpath is a busy route from Sandridge into Marshalswick but the recent heavy rain has turned it into a sea of mud and water, making it a real problem for students having to walk to and from Sandringham daily.

One concerned parent said: “The flood water is such now that children are taking to slippily trying to get up onto the bank and then into the field to walk along this 25-39m section.

“To use a detour along a busy main road through the village easily doubles the journey time and can be dangerous negotiating sections which don’t have a footpath and crossing this busy road during rush hour.”

Alan Gray, head of Sandringham, said a parent had contacted the school about the problem and to ask if the children could wear Wellington boots.

“We said 100 per cent that they could wear Wellingtons and we would find room for them.”