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

Organisers hope the ground-breaking initiative, introduced for the first time in Rossendale, will cut the number of accidents involving youngsters.

Up to nine organisations, including the emergency services, have been meeting children during a two week campaign to get the safety message across to primary school pupils.

Each day, youngsters will be given ten-minute long scenarios which will cover topics including food safety and electrical dangers.

Between last Monday, when the scheme started, and next Friday, around 880 children from 32 schools across Rossendale will have met safety chiefs at the Astoria at Rawtenstall.

Operation Streetwise will also stress the dangers of railways and reservoirs as well as challenging the youngsters' knowledge of first aid and fire safety.

Bacup's Police Community Support Officer Nick Stratton said: "The scheme is all about learning vital life skills before the children move up to high school.

"They will learn about highway safety and how to cope with dangerous or emergency situations.

"By coming here they will learn basic life-saving skills and how to make a 999 call.

"There have been similar schemes across the country and there have been well publicised cases of youngsters using what they have learned to save somebody's life." Pauline Thompson, of Lancashire County Council's Safer Travel Unit, said: "This is the first time the event has been run in Rossendale and has so far been a real success. We couldn't have done it without the free service that Rossendale Transport has provided us with."

The ten and 11-year-olds from primary schools throughout the Valley are learning 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 scheme is a multi agency approach, lead by Lancashire Constabulary, in conjunction with Lancashire County Council's Safety Travel Bus, Lancashire Fire and Rescue, NHS school nurses, environmental health and youth community services.