ROAD safety campaigners in Burnley were today celebrating a 77 per cent drop in casualties on a road they targeted.

The Burnley Road Safety Community Partnership staged a gory mock-crash in Colne Road in June and held a road safety event at nearby Barden school after noticing a "dramatic" rise in accidents between 2001 and 2002.

Lancashire County Council also installed speed cameras to tackle the problem, and new figures show the number of casualties in accidents since April this year has dropped to six, compared to 26 for the same period last year.

The partnership, which includes representatives from the police, fire brigade, ambulance service and primary care trust, is planning to stage more events to tackle problems as they arise.

The event in Colne Road involved a realistic recreation of a two-car smash with students from Accrington and Rossendale College wearing make-up to show the serious injuries that can result from accidents caused by speed.

Pupils and staff from Barden High School montored reactions from passers-by.

Pennine police traffic manager Colin Peacock said: "We got the idea for these events after we saw a dramatic rise in accidents on Colne Road.

"By organising them all together we managed to carry them out more effectively."

Station officer Shaun Naughton, from Burnley fire station, said: "We wanted people to see what the effects of an accident really are.

"We have worked together to achieve a reduction in accidents on this road, which is a result we are pleased with."

Julie Carman, children's accident prevention co-ordinator for Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust said: "We hope everything that has been done on Colne Road will have a lasting effect and keep people thinking about road safety."