Residents of a quiet residential street in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire were surprised to see bright yellow ‘School Keep Clear’ markings recently painted on their road. The markings, signaling a school zone, were painted outside homes despite there being no school in the area for the past 15 years. Edensor Technology College previously occupied the location but closed in 2011 after merging with another school miles away.
Local residents expressed their astonishment at the situation, pointing out that not only had the school been closed for a long time, but the workers had also made the error of painting the letter ‘S’ upside down. Criticism was directed at the local council for resurfacing a road that was deemed unnecessary while neglecting nearby streets with pothole issues.
One resident, Ali Hassan, a former property landlord residing near the sign, voiced concerns over the erroneous markings, questioning who would bear the cost of rectifying the mistake and calling out the lack of oversight in the process. Social media was abuzz with comments from other residents highlighting the glaring error of the upside-down ‘S’ and questioning the oversight during the painting process.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s leader, Jane Ashworth, issued an apology to residents and assured a review of the situation. She acknowledged the error, emphasizing that there was no school nearby and describing the situation as chaotic. Ashworth assured residents that parking on the street marked as a school zone would not result in fines to alleviate concerns.
The incident has sparked community outrage and calls for accountability, with residents demanding proper resolution and clarity on how such a mistake occurred in the first place.