Parents were left shocked after a car ploughed into a Herne Hill school playground over the Christmas holidays.
Concerned mums and dads are thankful pupils were off school when the vehicle smashed through the fence in the early hours of Boxing Day.
Southwark Council has said it is “urgently looking into” the incident as parents call for improved traffic safety measures.
Police said a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and criminal damage.
Local parent Celeste Hicks said: “I think the solution is quite simple the council needs to get serious about installing traffic calming measures outside the school on HML [Half Moon Lane].”
Southwark Council has pledged to put traffic restrictions outside all schools or provide them with other safety measures by 2026.
“They promised this… in the Streets for People strategy so they really need to start putting their money where their mouth is,” Celeste said.
Celeste claims parents have previously contacted Southwark Council about safety at the crossing.
She previously told the News that parents were “scared” to walk their kids to school because cars come “flying around corners”.
Celeste believes one possible solution could be to build out the pavement outside the school.
‘Outrage’ after humanoid no parking sign kidnapped from Herne Hill school
Southwark Council says pavements outside busy public access points should measure 2.4 metres but Celeste claims the path is narrower than this outside the school.
“The kerb there is very low in places and that’s where the car mounted the pavement,” she added.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at 1:37am on December 26 after a car was driven through a fence into school grounds in Half Moon Lane.
“A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and criminal damage. No reports of any injuries.”
Cllr James McAsh, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Streets and Clean Air, said: “We were made aware of this and it must have been a shock for local people, I’m very glad nobody was seriously hurt. We are looking into it urgently.”
In October, a human-shaped parking sign was stolen from outside the school only to be returned the next month following a police investigation.