A local council facing financial constraints has been embarrassed by mistakenly painting school zone lines on a street where a school has not existed for 15 years. Residents in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, were surprised to see bright yellow ‘School Keep Clear’ markings recently appearing on their quiet residential street.
The markings were originally intended for the former Edensor Technology College, which closed in 2011 after merging with another school located miles away. Homeowners expressed disbelief at the error and questioned who would be responsible for correcting it.
Not only has there been no school in the area for 15 years, but residents also noted that the workers painted the letter ‘S’ upside down. They criticized the council for resurfacing a road that did not require attention while neglecting neighboring streets with potholes.
One resident, Ali Hassan, pointed out the absence of a school in the vicinity and raised concerns about potential parking fines due to the misleading markings. Social media users also highlighted the upside-down ‘S’ and expressed astonishment at the oversight.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council Leader, Jane Ashworth, issued an apology to residents and pledged to investigate the matter. She acknowledged the mistake, describing the situation as a “mess” and assured residents that parking enforcement would not target the area erroneously marked as a school zone.
