Bolton Neighbourhood Watch News - August 2025

Parking outside schools

Pick-up and drop-off times are busy outside schools. This can cause an increased safety risk to both children and parents.

Parking restrictions outside schools are there to keep you and your children safe. Parking inconsiderately can put people in danger and you also risk being fined. It’s important that motorists follow the Highway Code.
 

Parking restrictions outside schools

Understanding yellow zigzag markings

Most school entrances and exits in the UK have yellow zigzag road markings with the writing ‘School Keep Clear’.

Zigzags can also be found at entrances and exits of hospitals, fire stations, police stations and ambulance stations. They indicate the part of the road where motorists should not wait, stop, or park a vehicle. 

Sometimes there may be an accompanying sign that shows specific times when these restrictions are in place. Motorists are legally allowed to park on the zigzags outside of these hours.

Both yellow and white zigzags also show areas that must be kept clear so that children and other road users can see clearly when crossing the road.
 

Parking on yellow zigzags

You can legally park on yellow zigzags under certain circumstances.

Yellow zigzags without accompanying signs advise motorists not to wait or park there at any time for the safety of children and others. The police can and do issue tickets for parking on them, based on causing an obstruction to other motorists or pedestrians.

Some yellow zigzags have a single or double yellow line, which indicate different parking restrictions.

Parking opposite yellow zigzags

You can legally park opposite yellow zigzags. However, this can make crossing the road more dangerous, especially for children. Some schools have yellow zigzags on both sides of the road for this reason.
 

Safety tips for parking outside schools

When picking up or dropping off children at schools, you should do the following:

Fines

Local councils can issue motorists with penalty charge notices (PCN) for waiting, stopping, or parking on yellow zigzags if restrictions are in place. These are issued by civil enforcement officers.

Most parking or waiting fines are now enforced as a civil matter, rather than a police matter. A PCN does not result in a criminal record or points on a licence if dealt with by the council.

In some areas, the local council doesn't have civil parking enforcement powers. In these areas parking is enforced by the police or by police-employed traffic wardens who will issue a fixed penalty notice (FPN). These are enforced through the criminal justice system.

Fines can vary depending on location. Stopping in a restricted area outside a school will result in a higher fine. The fee is also halved if paid within 14 days and you have 28 days to pay or challenge the fine.

Immobilise helps police identify the owners of recovered property thousands of times every day. Property updates you make are immediately available to police nationally, playing an important role in fighting property crime. Combat the sale of stolen gadgets and valuables by alerting the second-hand trade and the publicly checkable stolen goods database, CheckMEND, if an item goes missing. Simplify insurance claims and police reports with certificates of ownership. Or, if you need a loss report number for insurance purposes, visit Report My Loss. Immobilise is a police approved Secured by Design initiative and ISO 27001 certified to ensure your data is protected to the highest standards. Immobilise (www.immobilise.com ) is the UK's National Property register available to the public free of charge for registration of property and personal possessions pre-loss/theft. Item records can then be easily updated to indicate they are lost or stolen alerting police and helping prevent unauthorised trade.  The details recorded by the public are available for real-time searches by police enabling quick, easy and accurate identification of property. A diverse range of registered property As you might expect mobile phones constitute a significant percentage of the items registered on Immobilise, however the system is used for an incredibly diverse range of property. Items range from the smallest piece of jewellery, to large TV's, to boats, and even bonsai trees - basically anything portable, valuable or just something you wouldn't want to lose! Why the public need Immobilise… When someone becomes the victim of property crime they need report it to police and often an insurer. The police ideally need a comprehensive list of what is missing including serial numbers for consumer electronics and your devices. An insurer normally requires proof of purchase, accurate model names and, perhaps, even evidence for example that a TV was on a wall prior to the loss.Most people do not have this information to hand adding to an already stressful situation. This lack of detail can lead to insurance claims being reduced or rejected, and could mean Police have no way of linking recovered property to owners. As a result investigations are hampered and property remains unclaimed. The ability to confirm ownership can be the difference between Police having enough evidence to charge a suspect and having to let them go! Source:  The Police National Mobile Property Register

The following came in just after our events mail was sent out mid month, but with it being before the next events mail is due out we have included it here

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