SCHOOLCHILDREN have been helping to improve road safety outside their schools by designing road safety posters.

The pupils have been helping to drive home the message to motorists in Blackburn and Darwen about the dangers of parking outside schools.

Blackburn with Darwen Council launched a poster competition earlier in the year to highlight the problem of parents parking on the zig zag lines when dropping their children off.

Audley Junior School, Roe Lee Park Primary School, St Barnabus Primary School, St Paul's Primary School and St Silas Primary School were were involved in the competition, and more than 1,600 pupils entered.

The schools were chosen because they had previously been part a pilot Junior Road Safety Officer Scheme.

That scheme involved pupils as Junior Road Safety Officer delivering some key safety messages including play safe, cycle safe, Stop Look and Listen, and be safe be seen.

This pilot scheme has been so successful that it has been rolled out to 21 schools across the borough.

The winning posters were designed by Mariyah Nagdee and Nasreen Raja from Audley Junior School.

Third place winner was Ayesha Ahmed from Roe Lee Park Primary School.

A council spokesperson said the posters were successful because they were "eye catching, colourful, and simple yet effective".

The designs will now be made into signs for schools across the borough to display outside.

A spokesperson for Audley Junior School, said: "We are very proud of our pupils doing so well in the poster competition.

"We got first and second which was really good. Hopefully we will have a poster and board outside soon."

All three winners will also have their designs displayed on the plasma screens at the town hall.

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration, said: "It is important that parents realise that they are putting their children and their class mates in danger by parking on the zig zag lines. They were designed to keep the area clear from cars so that schoolchildren could cross safely."

If schools would like to request a sign, they should contact parkingservices@blackburn.gov.uk