A HEAD teacher is backing a parent’s petition to get potholes urgently repaired outside his school.

Helen Abrehart has launched the petition calling for action on Chapel Road outside Stanway Primary School.

Concerns have been raised the pothole-ridden road surface causes drivers to swerve and could lead to an accident.

The campaign is being backed by the school which has the petition in its reception.

Already it has about 50 signatures after being there for just a week.

Mrs Abrehart, whose daughter Millie, nine, attends the school, said: “Everybody is moaning at the school and can’t wait to sign it because something has to be done.”

Head teacher Brian Combes said: “The whole surface of the road is in a terrible way and we are concerned about it.

“It is as bad as it gets. It is not just one spot, it across the whole road and quite a length of the road.

“It is also prone to flooding and it is getting worse almost week by week.

“We assumed being outside a school and next to a zebra crossing it would be an absolute priority to sort it out.”

Mr Combes said the road surface had got noticeably worse since Christmas.

“It is a real safety issue, people are driving and trying to avoid them,” he added.

He said when flooding happened most of the road is covered with water as well as the pavement on one side, meaning pedestrians are walking to avoid it.

But cars are also splashing the children.

“We have had children come into school drenched and it is not ideal,” he said.

The school contacted Essex County Council and was told repairs to the road were on its list of projects for 2014/15 but these would depend on cash being available.

Teresa Baines, who lives in nearby Villa Road, said Chapel Road was also a main bus route and used by people attending Fiveways Primary School and Stanway School.

“It is like a driving on a roller coaster and if you are on a bike, like skiing off-piste,” she said.

She also contacted Rodney Bass, the county councillor in charge of highways, to raise her concerns.

Cllr Bass told her the road had been inspected and will be looked at again this month.

But he echoed what the school had been told by the county council.

A council spokesman said: “We prioritise potholes according to how unsafe they are making the road and in this instance, the potholes along Chapel Road and Winstree Road do not require immediate remedial intervention in line with the Essex Highways Maintenance Policy. We understand the concerns highlighted by the local resident and will aim to repair all defects that are identified as part of our on-going programme of works.”