Exmouth Deaf Academy students call for 'safer' puffin crossing outside their school

Students tell ITV News' Richard Lawrence the new crossing is vital

Students at a school for people with impaired or no hearing in Devon are calling for a safer road crossing outside their academy.

Work to create a standard crossing outside the Deaf Academy in Exmouth is underway, but pupils say they need an upgraded puffin crossing.

Unlike zebra and pelican crossings, a puffin crossing has extra sensors to ensure the traffic lights don't change to red while a pedestrian is crossing.

The Deaf Academy relocated to the former Rolle College four years ago.

It is located near a blind corner on a road which can be very busy at rush hour.

One student said: "We need a crossing because we need it to be safe for us to cross the road. The road here is really dangerous. There's a blind corner, people come round really fast and don't notice anybody crossing."

The local council agreed to pay £70,000 for a standard crossing outside the school.

The academy is now raising an extra £30,000 towards the overall cost for the modifications, to make it a puffin crossing.

Claire Quick is part of the leadership team at the college.

She told ITV News West Country: "Deaf people need longer to cross the road and time to react so it is really important."

She says it has taken time to talk through the right option with the council but she is grateful that the local authority is paying more than half the bill.

A just giving page has been set up to run alongside their fundraising efforts.