Information sent to all parents from Leicestershire Police
Tuesday 10th September 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am writing to you on behalf of the East Leicester Neighborhood Policing Team to raise awareness of important road safety issues affecting our school communities. As part of Operation Syphon 2025, we are working proactively to improve road and pedestrian safety across East Leicester, with a particular focus on the areas surrounding local schools.
We are asking for your support in the following key areas:
Please avoid parking on double yellow lines, zig-zag markings, or blocking pavements near school entrances. These actions create dangerous conditions for children and other pedestrians, including wheelchair users and those with pushchairs. Illegal parking not only endanger lives but also causes disruption to the local community.
Recent figures from the Department for Transport show that 25% of car fatalities involved individuals not wearing seatbelts. This figure increases to 41% during night-time collisions. Seatbelts are a legal requirement and remain one of the most effective life-saving measures in vehicles.
Children must use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first. After this, they must wear a seatbelt. Booster seats must be EU-approved and correctly fitted. Failure to comply can result in a £500 fine and penalty points and significantly increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
We would like to remind you that privately owned electric scooters (e-scooters) are, under current UK law, classed as mechanically propelled vehicles. This means they require a valid driving license and insurance to be used legally on public roads. It is illegal to use them on pavements, parks, or roads without meeting these requirements.
Sadly, we have seen significant injuries and, in some cases, fatalities involving the use of e-scooters in our local area. These incidents highlight the serious risks associated with their misuse.
As part of Operation Syphon, we will be taking proactive enforcement action. This includes the seizure of e-scooters being used illegally and issuing fines of up to £300 and 6 penalty points on the rider’s driving license. Please ensure that children and young people are aware of these legal restrictions.
For further updates and information about road safety legislation and local enforcement activity, please follow our East Leicester Police Facebook page. We regularly share important safety messages and community updates.
We appreciate your continued cooperation in helping us keep our school communities safe. By working together, we can ensure that every child travels to and from school in a safe and responsible manner.
We will shortly be releasing a survey to the public to help us fully understand the communities’ concerns surrounding road and pedestrian safety.
Yours Faithfully
Sergeant 2239 Chris Hall
East Leicester Neighborhood Policing Team