CHILDREN and parents across Teesside are putting the car keys to one side and walking to school this week.

Hundreds of children in the Tees Valley area have signed up to the national initiative, Walk to School Week, which began on Monday, and ends on Friday.

All of them have pledged that they, and their parents, will leave the car at home at school time.

Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Councils have joined forces for this year's event, which is being supported and advertised by Century FM radio station.

Posters have been sent out to every school in the area, and every child who signs up for the initiative will be entered into a draw by Century FM for a chance to win a VIP trip to Middlesbrough FC's first match of the season.

Neil Ellison, of the Tees Valley Road Safety Group, said: "We want to encourage parents and children to try walking instead of driving.

"When you think about the amount of time that parents on the school run can spend sat in traffic jams during the peak traffic hours, and the difficulties in parking when they get to school, quite often walking can work out much quicker."

All children who walk are eligible to enter the competition, even if they already walk anyway.