POSTERS to help promote safe cycling have been designed by primary school children in response to a spike in reports of youngsters cycling dangerously.

Hambleton District Council, in partnership with the local police teams and fire service, launched a competition for children to design a poster explaining why people should cycle safely.

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The reported incidents included children riding bikes on pavements, dodging pedestrians, not wearing helmets and riding without lights on dark nights.

The finalists attended Northallerton Fire Station where they were presented with their awards and given a tour of the station which included trying out the hoses.

District Councillor Paula Thompson said: “It was fantastic to meet the winners and to see the effort they had put into their designs.

"We will be using their designs to continue to promote the cycling safely campaign this autumn with our partners in the Police and Fire Service.

"Well done to all involved and I hope this campaign goes some way to educating and encouraging people to cycle safely, especially as we approach the darker nights where visibility can be reduced and cycling made more challenging.”

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Group Manager Tom Hirst from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue added: “It was great to see that they’d covered the key safety elements for cycling safety including wearing helmets, safely cycling on pavements and cycling with a light on in the dark, which we will be using to help promote cycle safety in our upcoming Dark Nights safety campaign.

"This covers Halloween safety, safety around bonfires and fireworks, and also pedestrian and cycle safety as the nights are getting shorter.”

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