A MOTHER-OF-THREE has started a campaign to have a secondary school built in a village. Juliet Pomerance, of Westland Road in Knebworth, is gathering support for a voluntary-aided secondary school to be built on land close to Lessiter s chocolate factory

A MOTHER-OF-THREE has started a campaign to have a secondary school built in a village.

Juliet Pomerance, of Westland Road in Knebworth, is gathering support for a voluntary-aided secondary school to be built on land close to Lessiter's chocolate factory on London Road in Knebworth.

She said: "We have got 424 children in the junior school and when they have finished they haven't got a suitable place to go to. Some have to go right to the other end of Stevenage and they are split up from their friends.

"Families are moving out of the village. Knebworth is going to have a lot of old people in the village but no young families. Having no secondary school puts people off living here."

Ms Pomerance, 39, said the idea for a secondary school on this site was looked at about four years ago by the land owner, Henry Lytton Cobbold, but it was decided there were not enough children to justify the build. She says there are enough children now, adding: "Heathcote (in Stevenage) at the time was an improving school, but now it's closing, so there are also not as many feasible options for children in Knebworth.

"We have got a site for the secondary school, which doesn't overlook any houses, and we have the children for it."

Ms Pomerance has a petition in most of the village shops, is planning an online petition, and spoke about the idea to Knebworth Parish Council at its annual parish meeting last night (Wednesday).

She said: "Somebody has got to do something about it. We have got people saying if we don't get it they will move out of the village. It's a big deal.