Children and parents have been celebrating after they stopped lorry drivers who used the road outside their school that as a “rat ran”.

The road outside Halstow Primary School is near to the Blackwall Tunnel so many lorries and other large vehicles used it as a way to dodge the normal tragic.

This led many parents to fear for their children’s safety, especially as the road was already on a steep hill, increasing the potential for an accident.

Tom Gray, headteacher at the primary, said: “We were really concerned about the levels of heavy traffic rumbling past our gates. It was an accident waiting to happen.”

To stop lorries from passing through, a road-narrowing scheme was introduced in the autumn, making it so large vehicles couldn’t use their old rat run by the school.

Mr Gray said: “Since the scheme was introduced we have noticed a big decrease in the number of lorries and air quality has already improved.”

Councillor Sizwe James, cabinet member for transport, economy and smart cities, said: “Improving road safety is one of our key concerns, especially for children in the borough.

“Ensuring these large vehicles aren’t using narrow, steep back roads as ‘rat runs’ is crucial, particularly when the routes run close to our schools.”