HUNDREDS of young children from Blackburn and Darwen are being taught to be "streetwise" and how to cope with the dangers inside and out of the home.

Up to nine organisations, including the emergency services, will meet the children at Blackburn Rovers' Jack Walker stand on Monday to discuss the issues.

The organisations will each set up a stand and children will visit each one in the two hours they are there to learn safety tips.

The ten and 11-year-olds from 60 primary schools will learn to recognise dangers and basic survival skills that could save lives

They will learn how to escape from a smoke filled room and how hoax calls put people's lives at risk.

The £2,000 scheme is sponsored by British Aerospace and Blackburn Rovers have allowed "Streetwise" to use the Jack Walker stand for free.

PC Jeff Chadwick, Youth Intervention Officer, said: "We try to teach youngsters how to cope with dangerous or emergency situations like finding their grandad collapsed on the floor.

"By coming here they will learn basic life-saving skills and how to make a 999 call so they will not only know how to keep their grandad alive but they will know how to get him help.

"There have been similar schemes across the country for instance "Crucial Crew" in Manchester, and there have been well publicised cases of youngsters using what they have learned to save somebody's life."