A ROAD safety initiative, which will see police rewarding children for wearing cycling helmets, is set to be rolled-out across Lancashire.

The scheme involves officers speaking to youngsters about the importance of wearing a helmet and giving out special activity packs to those who follow road safety advice.

More than 33,000 road safety packs are to be handed out to youngsters across the county, co-inciding with the start of the summer holidays.

Insp Alison Barff-Lewis said: “Wearing a cycling helmet can help to prevent injuries and can even save a life.

“This initiative is about encouraging children to wear a helmet and helping them to stay safe on our roads. “We first piloted this scheme in Coppull in November last year and children were very responsive to it. "We have therefore decided to roll the scheme out across the county and hopefully get the important message out to youngsters that they should always wear a helmet when riding their bike.”

The packs, which contain a certificate, a bookmark, a toy and a competition entry slip, have been supplied by the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust. Angela Lee, chief executive of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust, said: “We are delighted that the Force is participating with this initiative.

"A total of 33,000 packs have been handed out across the country and they are a great way of interacting with young people on road safety.”

The Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust is an award-winning child cyclist's safety charity.

The Trust was founded in 1998 by a paediatric nurse who through her work saw the devastation head injury can cause not only to the child but to the whole family.