It comes after a patrol officer on the crossing at St Margarets Road in Lowestoft was verbally abused by a man who then spat on the footpath towards her.

The new ‘Lollipops Aren’t Just For Children’ clampdown - which started on Monday March 2 - is targeting motorist awareness around school crossing patrols.

The campaign is reminding motorists of their legal obligation to comply with the stop signs displayed by more than 55 school crossing patrols across the county.

It comes after recent incidents involving crossing patrol officers being abused and after a small number of body-worn cameras were trialled, resulting in successful prosecutions, this will now be rolled out across the county.

Motorists must stop when signalled by a school crossing patrol or risk a fine up to £1,000 and incur three penalty points.

In more serious cases a driving ban can also be incurred.

Although mostly associated with helping children cross the road safely, school crossing patrol officers have the legal authority to stop traffic for any pedestrian, not just pupils travelling to and from school.

The six-week awareness campaign running across Suffolk includes advertising on the back of buses around Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft; radio advertisements; video content featuring crossing patrol officers and social media advertising.

Chris Chambers, Suffolk County council's cabinet member for transport strategy, said: “We’ve launched ‘Lollipops Aren’t Just For Children’ to remind drivers to slow down, be patient and show respect at patrol points.

"While most drivers follow the rules, some continue to ignore stop signals and verbally abuse crossing patrol officers, people - including children – using the crossing, and other motorists who are doing what they are supposed to.

"This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and by launching this awareness campaign to remind people of their responsibilities, together we can help make Suffolk’s roads safer for everyone."

© Eastern Daily Press