A CRISIS in recruiting lollipop men and women could mean community support officers, police or even NCP parking attendants, helping children cross the road.

Teachers are currently having to stand in but this is obviously not satisfactory in the long term and police are understandably not too happy about using support officers or police officers.

Quite what the council can do to attract more lollipop men and women is hard to see.

Being a lollipop person used to be attractive to fit and active retirees who just wanted to earn a little bit of cash to supplement their pensions.

But now, perhaps because those who want to work part-time have far more opportunities to work more amenable hours, working just two hours a day at opposite ends of the day is not as convenient as it once used to be.

Now someone who wants to work part-time can do so at a supermarket or a DIY store earning the same or more money rather than working five days a week in all weathers.