A HEADTEACHER is naming and shaming parents who drive or park dangerously outside his school.

Ian Barton, head of Down Hall Primary, in Rayleigh, used the school's newsletter to mention "dangerous parking and reversing".

He gave the parent's car number plate and politely asked them to stop.

However, Mr Barton has only been forced to resort to such measures twice in the past four years, and he praised the high level of safe driving by parents.

Mr Barton said the driver highlighted in the newsletter was in an area where Essex County Council had put in parking restrictions. He said: "It was a three-point turn in an area they shouldn't.

"We had a letter of complaint from a resident who said they were blocking their drive.

"Our primary concern is child safety and we use the newsletter to get the message across.

"Parking is not a major problem here, but sometimes we need to highlight the issue. For other schools, the problems are horrendous."

Down Hall has three entrances, which Mr Barton said alleviated congestion around the school.