A woman who drove at a traffic warden to avoid a parking ticket has been banned from driving for a year.

Johanna Osburn, of Honiton Road, Southend, was convicted of dangerous driving at Southend magistrates court after heading for the official and driving through a zebra crossing while a lollipop lady was stopping the traffic.

The 43-year-old pleaded not guilty to the offence and to a lesser charge of careless driving following the incident outside Thorpe Infants School in January.

See also 'Traffic wardens at risk' in Newsround The court heard that Osburn was doing a school run and pulled up on yellow zigzag lines, which are illegal to park on, to drop off the children outside the school.

Traffic warden Roy Knott approached the car from behind to take down the registration.

Giving evidence, Mr Knott said: "She stopped on the lines and got out to open a passenger door and let out her children. The driver saw me coming towards her car and stood in front of the number plate with her knees against the plate so I could not see."

Mr Knott moved to the front of the vehicle and Osburn got back into the car. He added: "She drove the vehicle towards me. I was standing about six to eight feet away from the car. I put my hand up in the stop position and when she stopped she was one foot away."

She then reversed at speed up the narrow road of Greenways and into Liftstan Way.

It was here Osburn drove past Doreen Burman as she held her lollipop aloft to halt traffic while a group of adults and children waited to cross.

Osburn told the court her seven-year-old son had opened the car door, climbed out and let two of the other children out of the back, which forced her to get out to close the doors.

She said the traffic warden stood in front of her car and she panicked about picking up a fine so she "reversed slowly up Greenways". She denied driving towards the warden and claims the lollipop lady was not on the crossing but on the side of the road.

She was disqualified for 12 months, fined £70 and ordered to pay £50 costs.

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