Concealed security cameras mounted in the poles of lollipop men and women could be introduced across Merton in a bid to drive up road safety and protect schoolchildren.

Council officers are contemplating ordering in the devices to tackle the growing number of incidents of “lollipop rage” as irate motorists whofailing to stop at school crossings go undetected.

Merton would be one of the first local authorities in Britain to order in the cameras after a successful trial in Yorkshire.

The converted lollipops, costing £900 each, are activated when the pole touched the ground and can be pointed at any offending motorist’s car to record its number plate.

Across Britain, around 1,400 incidents were reported in 2008, with safety concerns among lollipop men and women contributing to a decline in the number of volunteers at school crossings.

In Merton, councillors claim there is difficulty recruiting lollipop men and women while the authority has already launched campaigns to increase awareness of the dangers they face, such as the Stop Means Stop initiative.

St Helier Councillor, Maxi Martin, said: “We’ve been trying to get one outside Abbotsbury Primary School for eight years. They really are invaluable.

“If these cameras reassure volunteers then it’s a brilliant idea. We should be doing everything we can to make our lollipop men and women feel safer - they area so important.”

Councillor David Williams, Leader of Merton Council, added: “The safety of our school crossings for both pupils and lollipop patrol staff is one of our highest priorities.

"We're interested to see how pilot schemes elsewhere could be applied in Merton. This is a responsible use of CCTV to protect the community against a minority of thoughtless motorists."

If drivers to fail to stop when instructed to do so, they face a fine of up to £1,000, three penalty points, or even disqualification.

Supporting introduction of the devices, a spokeswoman for the RAC Foundation, said: “It’s regrettable that we should have to be looking introducing CCTV cameras in lollipops but dangerous drivers who don’t take notice of the valuable work lollipop men and women do need to be identified.”

“They perform such a vital service, not only helping children cross the road but teaching them the importance of road safety.”

Merton Council’s director for environment and regeneration, Chris Lee, said: “We always take the safety of our employees seriously and are always open to considering measures that would improve the road safety of our lollipop men and women.”