PARENTS regularly collect their children from a primary school while swigging from cans of booze.

And some have even been seen drowning their sorrows as they drop the kids off in the morning.

The disturbing trend has worried staff at Doncaster Road primary who say it undermines their efforts to teach children about the dangers of alcohol.

Family support worker Lisa Hutton has written to police saying: "On many occasions I have had to ask parents/carers not to bring alcohol onto the school premises, this has resulted in alcohol being left on the roadside or on the school wall.

"Some parents/carers collect their children from school and wait for them at the school gates, on some occasions I have witnessed some parents/carers waiting for their children with alcohol in their hands.

"This makes it increasingly difficult for us to educate the children of the dangers of alcohol, as children are assuming it is okay to drink alcohol excessively and that it is appropriate to drink alcohol on the streets."

Central SNT is trying to ban public boozing on Doncaster Road and surrounding streets and parks.

Barnsley Council's licensing board will decide whether to introduce the booze ban on Wednesday to combat 'persistent problems'.

Full story on this week's town edition front page