CONTROVERSIAL plans to charge parents to park while they drop their children at school have been put on hold, amid bitter protests.

The row broke out when Salisbury district council told parents they would need to buy a £25-a-year permit to use Lacock House car park, outside St Osmund's School, for up to an hour a day.

But the outraged parents branded the scheme unnecessary, claiming they had not been consulted and that it was merely a way of making money.

Many refused to buy the permits, saying they would drop their children further away from the school gate or risk getting a ticket.

The row attracted the attention of the national media and now the council has been forced to reconsider the proposal.

In a statement issued this week, it said: "We are sorry parents have not been properly consulted on the scheme.

"The council believes parents should have the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns in the full knowledge of the facts.

"For that reason, we have called a meeting of the original partners of the scheme - the school, the Friary Residents' Association, the district council and parents, to agree how parents and residents can be involved and have their views taken into account before any further action is taken."

Those in support of the scheme say parking around St Osmund's school is a major safety concern and the permit would regulate where parents left their cars.

They say all the revenue would go into supporting community projects on the Friary Estate, to compensate residents for sharing their private car park.

But the angry parents remain unconvinced.

"We really are only talking about a few minutes a day," said parent Tony Schendel.

"We just don't see why we should have to pay, when we already pay high enough taxes to this council, and they want the same amount as a city centre permit, which lets you park at any time of the day.

"This has been chaos from the start," he said.

"No one seems to know who's running it - the council and school are blaming each other.

"It really shouldn't be that hard to manage."

St Osmund's Travel Safe to School Group, which helps to find safer and more environmentally friendly ways of doing the school run, said the entire scheme had been put on hold, until a meeting could be arranged, and parents would be kept informed.

A concerned parent has also spoken out about mindless motorists dropping children off at Wyndham Park School in Bishopdown, Salisbury.

One mother, in a letter to The Journal, described parents who drive their children to school as "selfish individuals who have only the care for themselves".

Expressing her disbelief, and that of other walking parents, she said: "What will it take before they think of our children - a child involved in an accident?"

Cars ferrying children to and from the school have been spotted parking on zigzag lines, opposite junctions and at corners close to the school, as well as in front of drop-kerbs, making access for buggies and wheelchair-users difficult.