Bristol does not have enough lollipop men and women

The school crossing patrol service, which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year, is desperately short-staffed, with almost half of the city's routes unmanned.

At present, only 45 of the 78 patrol sites (58%) are manned, with the remaining 33 sites vacant.

With the new school year just weeks away, the problem has become so pressing that Bristol City Council is holding a recruitment drive in a bid to attract more people to the job.

Council staff are taking to the streets and shopping centres of the city to shatter a number of myths surrounding the work of crossing patrol staff.

They want to make clear being a lollipop man or woman is not voluntary, and that it is not just a job for older or retired people.

Jo Davies from Bristol City Council said: "We want to encourage more people to consider working on a school crossing patrol - there are job share opportunities, full training and respectable rates of pay."