POLICE officers are clamping down on drivers who “flout” restrictions on three busy streets outside a trio of Haddington schools – as the pioneering scheme begins to be copied elsewhere in the country.

Steps were taken in January to prevent vehicles from travelling on Neilson Park Road, Victoria Road and Wemyss Place for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon during the school week.

The scheme, outside King’s Meadow Primary School, and the Haddington Infant and St Mary’s RC Primary School joint campus, has been widely welcomed but PC Lynn Black, the town’s community beat officer, revealed last week that it was going to require more attention after complaints about people ignoring the rules.

The ban lasts 8.30am-9.30am and 3-4pm from Monday to Thursday. The morning times are the same on Fridays but the later ban lasts 11.45am-12.45pm.

Those found driving within the streets, outside of residents and those with Blue Badges, together with any essential vehicles such as police cars, ambulances or the Royal Mail, can be hit with a fixed penalty of £50.

PC Black said: “One thing that has been brought to my attention is the issue of persons flouting the restrictions on Neilson Park Road, Wemyss Place and Victoria Road for the schools during term.

“I’ve got a good reporting mechanism where a lot of people report it to me.” The officer told Haddington’s Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) that even if someone could not be issued with a fixed penalty, she could warn them that their vehicle had been spotted breaching the regulations.

“I can warn them and it lets them know that people are watching them,” she said.

The scheme has proven such a success that it has been expanded to Dunbar, while other local authorities across the country are looking to implement their own version.

In Dunbar, vehicles are restricted as to when they can drive along Countess Cresent, beside the John Muir Campus of Dunbar Primary School.

Last month, a trial to ban vehicles from streets surrounding 11 Edinburgh primary schools at drop-off times got under way.

Now, a Glasgow city councillor is set to visit East Lothian to see about implementing the scheme near a primary school in the city.

PC Black said: “It is obviously something a lot of places in Scotland have picked up on.

“It is only going to work if it is being enforced.” A spokesman for East Lothian Council said: “The traffic restrictions around three primary schools in Haddington, and more recently one at Dunbar, have shown some success so far, and have been supported by the majority of parents, teachers and the local communities.

“It is great to see other councils following our efforts to promote greater road safety around schools.”