SOUTH Ribble council chiefs took a deep breath when they got a request for yet more traffic-calming measures in Lostock Hall -- especially when they realised it had been organised by a group of children.

The gang of school chums, who play on a green in Medway Close, off Watering Pool Lane, Lostock Hall, wrote to South Ribble Borough Council to demonstrate their concern at the speed of passing cars.

Claire Phillipson, 11, sister Jenny, eight, and Beth Clayton, nine, wrote to the council and the trio, along with William Thom, four, Nikki Sale, five and Daniel Sale, six, included colourful pictures of their ideas for road signs to encourage drivers to reduce their speed and the likelihood of accidents.

Proud mum Julie Phillipson said: "The children decided that they wanted signs to warn car drivers of their speed past the house and the area where they play.

"They wrote to the council and designed some of their own signs and even went around the houses getting signatures for a petition. "They sent it all off to the highways manager at the council and to be truthful, we thought they would ignore it."

But council bosses didn't ignore the pleas. As Medway Close is a cul-de-sac, traffic measures could not be put in place and unofficial road-signs aren't allowed.

But instead of ignoring the children's hard work, one of the council's engineers enlarged their pictures and had them laminated to display in their gardens.

Julie added: "I thought it was really nice seeing what they did and I was surprised.

"Because there was a petition involved, the council had to include it in an official meeting.

"The children are all really pleased with what has happened and they took their letters and drawings in to Lostock Hall Community Primary School to show teachers and classmates what they had achieved."