An 11-year-old from Blackburn has won a regional environmental award for tackling pollution in his neighbourhood.

Muhammad Abdulrashid was named ‘Young Nature Champion’ at the South Pennine Park Awards held in Halifax on Friday.

The awards, aim to celebrate nature and the diverse landscape within the South Pennines Park area which covers a 460-square-mile area cutting across the Yorkshire and Lancashire county boundary.

Muhammad who suffers with asthma, set out on a mission to tackle climate change by spreading awareness of engine idling.

He said he was determined to do something after overhearing a conversation about engine idling between his dad Faz Patel MBE and Blackburn with Darwen councillor Phil Riley.

After learning about the detrimental impact idling engines can have on children's health and the environment he wanted to make a difference.

He knocked on car windows outside his Blackburn school to ask drivers to turn off their engines and explaining why.

Muhammad, said: “When they leave their engines running when they’re stopped, not only are drivers harming the climate, they’re also impacting on air pollution and affecting people’s lives too.”

The Royal College of Physicians estimates that 400,000 deaths a year in the UK are linked to air pollution, with engine idling contributing to this.

Engine idling is when a vehicle is left running while it’s stationary with more than a quarter of those caught doing it outside schools.

Research shows idling cars produce twice the emissions than a moving car.

Muhammed has also planted 500 trees along with friends and goes litter picking in his neighbourhood.