THE number of children injured on Lancashire’s roads increased last year, it has been revealed.

Official figures show the number of children injured on the roads went up by 6.4per cent, despite a string of initiatives.

And county locations made up 10 of the 50 most deadly sites across the whole of the country.

However, the number of children killed on the roads dropped from four to two.

Bosses said they were ‘absolutely determined’ to reduce the number, with more 20mph zones key to their plans.

The zones were piloted in parts of Burnley and are now being expanded.

County Coun Tim Ashton said: “If we can save just one child’s life, it will have been money well spent.”

The Lancashire Telegraph’s Wasted Lives campaign aims to change the law to reduce the number of young people killed on the roads.

And while successive governments have backed away from the proposals, which include a graduated licences scheme, are widely backed by experts, a hard-hitting educational scheme is having a positive effect on youngsters’ attitudes.

Named after the Wasted Lives campaign, the programme is aimed at 17 to 25-year-olds and in the past year 1,800 students have taken part.

Among the top 50 local authority areas ranked by ‘child casualty’ rate, Blackburn with Darwen was 7th, Pendle 10th, Hyndburn 16th and Rossendale 29th.

A Lancashire County Council report said boys were more likely to be injured than girls, with the difference most pronounced in their teenage years.

It said the county’s road safety partnership was working with police, fire and council bosses to ‘educate young people as to the dangers of being on the road'.

Coun Ashton confirmed that the police had recently written to the county council offering to help with enforcement of 20mph zones.