Lollipop man told to stop giving kids high-fives

A lollipop man said he had been told he could no longer high-five children while they are crossing the road because it slows down traffic.

Neil Cotton, 57, has been working as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, East Yorkshire for about two years.

In a social media post, he said he could not high-five the children anymore, because "it upsets some drivers having to wait another 10 seconds".

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it was vitally important children learned to cross the road safely, without any distractions.

Mr Cotton helps children from the infant, junior and secondary schools in Howden to cross the junction known locally as Cross Keys Corner.

His social media post received more than 100 comments before it was taken down.

On the school run, Kirsty Wilcox, told BBC Look North: "I think it's wrong. Why shouldn't he, what's wrong with it?

"It puts a smile on the kids' faces. My son does it all the time. But now he gets upset because he's not allowed to do it."

Another parent, Theresa Holt, said: "It's silly. It takes literally seconds and it gives that child that little bit of happiness. He's great with my little boy and he sees him as a friendly face."

Driver Tony Brooke described the move as "rules gone mad".

"It's absurd. Just to high five to them, I don't see there's a problem with that," he said.

"He's going to hold the traffic up to let the kids across so I wouldn't have thought it would add any more time to people's journeys at all. It's crazy."

Another driver, Michael Dalton, added: "I think it's a bit OTT to be honest. It's a bit PC [political correctness] going crazy again. As a driver, we need to be a bit more courteous, certainly at school times."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: "It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic.

"In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing.

"However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated."

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