A board of governors has been asked to consider refusing new pupils whose parents would drive them to school.

Councillor Vince Meegan wants parents to promise not to drive their children to Somerhill Junior School in Somerhill Road, Hove.

He believes the plan would free Somerhill Road and Somerhill Avenue from congestion during the morning and afternoon school runs.

Coun Meegan, the only Labour member in Goldsmid ward, said: "The admissions policy could be revised so parents are only considered if they undertake in writing to take their children to school by foot or public transport.

"Of course there will always be occasional exceptions when driving is necessary but we're all guilty of being lazy sometimes and jumping in the car rather than walking or taking the bus."

There have been plans drawn up for Somerhill Road and Somerhill Avenue, costing £50,000, to build speed humps, narrow the road and lower the speed limit to 20mph.

Coun Meegan, who lives in nearby Holland Road, said: "I'm all for any form of road safety but that is a lot of money and speed humps will not stop the chaos caused by parents using cars. Most of the time the road is quiet as a tomb."

Chairman of the board of governors Councillor Jenny Langston, who also represents Goldsmid, described the proposed ban as 'appalling'.

She said: "This is a selective procedure which would discriminate against working parents who need to use their car.

"There is no direct bus route passing the school and parents are often reluctant to let their children cycle because they are worried about road safety."

She said Somerhill Road was busy outside of school run times particularly with heavy traffic from the nearby Peacock Industrial Estate in Davigdor Road.

Road safety measures would make the route safer and parents happier about letting their children walk or cycle.

Head teacher Ben Parkhurst said he was aware parents had to cut their use of cars but a ban was not the solution.

He said: "We don't select on the basis of aptitude or any other criteria and would certainly not refuse children because they would be driven to school by their parents.

"Traffic is too heavy around the school at drop off and pick up times but we fully understand parents' reasons. Many of them are professionals who cannot easily walk their children to school."

A council spokeswoman said schools, unless Church-aided, did not have separate admissions policies.

She said: "To introduce a blanket rule would raise questions about equality of access to schools and could easily be challenged."