Under normal weather conditions, The Ridgeway, in Mill Hill, in mid-afternoon is transformed from a wide, accessible highway into an obstacle course, as scores of parents in unnecessarily large four-wheel drive vehicles block the road to pick up their children from the variety of schools in the area, causing delay and exasperation to passing motorists.

In the recent snowy conditions, which might justify the ownership and use of these vehicles, The Ridgeway has been free of obstruction, because the schools have been closed. I think that counts as irony.

In its mission statement, Mill Hill School says it seeks to imbue its pupils with “a profound respect for themselves, their neighbours and their environment”. Perhaps, when the weather returns to normal, it might try to imbue its pupils’ parents, and those connected with other schools in the area, with similar qualities.

Alec Gallagher, Braybrooks Drive, Potton