Bury ex-lollipop lady died on road she campaigned to make safer

A former lollipop lady died after she was hit by a van on a road which she had campaigned to make safer.

Irene Allen, 87, was seriously injured on Walmersley Road in Bury on 6 December and died five days later, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

Her daughter Melanie paid tribute to the “first lollipop lady in Bury” whose “sunny personality” would be missed.

She noted the “tragic irony” that her mother had argued for safer crossings for children on the road in the 1960s.

Police are investigating and have urged anyone with footage from the area before the collision at about 11:15 GMT on 6 December to come forward.

In a statement released by GMP, Ms Allen’s daughter described her mother – who had three grandchildren – as a “keen walker and Rawtenstall Cricket fan” and said she would leave behind “a whole community who miss her sunny personality”.

She added: “Always putting others before herself, in the mid-1960s Irene complained to Bury Council about the lack of safe crossings for school children across the busy Walmersley Road and became the newsworthy first lollipop lady in Bury.

“This tragic irony sits with us today.”

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]