A member of the public has come forward to temporarily replace a lollipop lady who was hit by a van following an appeal in the Daily Echo.

Parents in North Baddesley were worried about their children's safety following the accident earlier this month.

The original lollipop lady, known as Gill, was taken to Southampton General Hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a Ford Transit on December 5 while on duty near North Baddesley Infant School.

A Hampshire county councillor has been working to find a lollipop person to replace Gill while she recovers and has now shared a positive update.

Cllr Nick Adams-King, who is part of the Central Hampshire Road Safety Council for Hampshire County Council, said: “Thanks to an article in the Daily Echo, someone contacted me to offer to help out in a temporary capacity as the crossing patrol person in this spot.

“I’ve put them in touch with the team at HCC, who are arranging for background checks and training to be sorted. 

“These checks can take a few weeks, so it’s unlikely that we can get them in place until February, but we have a potential temporary replacement.”

Cllr Adams-King previously spoke about the difficulties in recruiting lollipop people due to the inflexible hours required for the role.

He added: “This has always been a notoriously difficult task for local councils as the job only requires a person for certain hours of the day and these hours are not particularly flexible.

“However, I have continued to tell residents that, despite budget constraints, we have a duty to make sure that every child can get to school safely – and now we have a potential temporary replacement which is great news.

“I’m afraid I think it’s likely to be some considerable time until the original lady, Gill, is well enough to return.”

A fundraiser to support Gill as she recovers from her injuries has now surpassed £2,000.