A mother has slammed careless motorists after her five-year-old son came within inches of a moving car outside his school.

Cindy Stocking, 37, of Aspen Way, who was wheeling her younger son Owen in the pushchair while walking Lewis to school, said she was "horrified" when a car began reversing toward him outside Hazelmere Infants School in Hawthorn Avenue, Greenstead, Colchester.

"Lewis was just ahead, as I was wheeling the pushchair, and he was standing still, waiting for me.

"The car, which was being driven by someone dropping off their child, started backing towards him and I screamed for him to move.

"He didn't realise what was going on and I couldn't move towards him fast enough, as I had the buggy.

"The car realised very late that he was there."

The mother-of-five said the whole area is marked with double yellow lines, but these were often ignored, endangering the children.

"It could have been much worse," said Mrs Stocking.

Headteacher of the school, Christine Ireland, urged drivers to heed her advice.

She said there was no car parking facility as most children are walked to school, meaning cars do sometimes stop outside the entrance to drop off youngsters.

"The safety of children is paramount though," she said.

Published Wednesday, March 20, 2002