Lollipop man ordered to stop high-fiving crossing children

18 June 2025, 20:23

A lollipop man has allegedly been told he can no longer high-five children while they are crossing the road because it slows down traffic.

Neil Cotton, 57, has been working as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, East Yorkshire for about two years.

In a now deleted social media post, he revealed he has been banned from high-fiving as "it upsets some drivers having to wait another 10 seconds".

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it was "vitally important" children learned to cross the road safely, without any distractions.

The news has led to outrage from many who believe the decision to be unfair and an example of "woke" culture.

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One person wrote on X: "Everything you need to know about local government officials in one joyless soviet Britain story. Depressing."

Another said: "Insanity how soft we’ve become."

"Utter woke nonsense," said another.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council told the BBC: "It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic.

"In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing.

"However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated."