NIGHTMARE neighbours have been accused of turning curtains black and sparking fights in the street with dangerous driving.
Calls for action are being made due to reckless motorists turning up outside a school whose headteacher says it is a miracle no children have been hurt – yet.
And residents in Wembley, north-west London, say the pollution being caused by idling cars is even blackening their front curtains.
Councillors also say "aggressive confrontations" and "scuffles" are breaking out as the tension mounts.
They are demanding Brent council designates Carlton Avenue East as a "school street".
This would prevent unregistered cars from driving along the road between 8am and 9am and again between 2.30pm and 4pm.
Local ward councillor Daniel Kennelly has launched an online petition making the call and is increasing the pressure on the local authority to step in.
He says local roads in the Labour-controlled borough have become "gridlocked by school traffic" causing "a rise in anti-social behaviour and dangerous driving".
One resident Vidya Reddy has backed the proposal, telling of the torment suffered by people living near the school.
She now avoids going outside during morning and afternoon drop-off times, for fear of fights breaking out and to avoid the noise of horns blaring.
And she is also now "scared" to sleep in her home's front bedroom due to the thick pollution being caused by the traffic.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service and MyLondon: "The curtain at the front is completely black and I don't leave the window open – but the back curtain is absolutely fine, it’s clean.
"Everybody's experience is the same – the road is really, really bad.
"The cars are just lined up along this street – people drive up the pavements, it's really quite dangerous."
Mr Kennelly told of "complete chaos on the road for two and a half hours every day", adding: "We have to take measures before someone gets seriously injured."
Preston Manor Lower School's headteacher Kevin Atkinson also backed the petition, as he warned many examples of "poor or dangerous driving" were putting pupils at risk.
He said they had been "incredibly fortunate" not to see injuries yet but warned: "Unless something changes soon, we may not be so lucky in the future."
Krupa Sheth, Brent council's cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate action, told The Sun Online: "No one wants the roads around schools to be gridlocked by school traffic.
"Not only is it a nuisance for people living on those streets but it is also dangerous for the children that have no choice but to breathe toxic air.
"We are committed to working with our schools and communities to make these areas safer for residents, children, parents and carers, particularly during peak times.
"That’s why we have already introduced 31 school streets around Brent and are working closely with our schools to encourage more journeys on foot, by pedal, or by public transport.
"We have clear targets on carbon neutrality by 2030 and we cannot reach that goal without making our streets safer, greener and supporting sustainable travel."
Other local authorities have launched crackdowns on motorists around schools – though these measures have faced protests too.
Solihull council in the West Midlands, near Birmingham, was last month condemned by parents for a "ridiculous" new ban on dropping pupils off or picking them up outside school gates.
A "school street" was introduced in Bury, Greater Manchester, to the relief of residents but mixed responses from parents.
In Bridgend, South Wales, parents forced council chiefs to abandon a ban on parking outside a school – despite angry local residents mounting a "barricade of deckchairs" against them.
Elsewhere, a series of near-misses involving "ignorant" drivers prompted school bosses in Stoke-on-Trent to put up signs warning against dangerous driving.
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