SCHOOLCHILDREN from Flixton and Urmston have helped Trafford Council to launch a programme to limit traffic outside three of the area's primaries.

The Year Six children from English Martyrs Catholic Primary, Flixton Primary and Urmston Primary teamed up with Cllr Stephen Adshead to promote the School Street Programme's message of health, safety and sustainability.

A part of the Urmston Active Neighbourhood, a multi-million-pound scheme aiming to promote sustainable travel, this programme involves the introduction of temporary restrictions outside schools at drop-off and pick-up time.

The aim is to allow parents to take their children to school by bike or on foot in traffic-free surroundings, with a positive impact on their health and safety and on the environment.

Cllr Adshead, of Stretford Ward, who is the council's executive member for environmental and regulatory services, said: "A number of early deaths in Britain are linked to air pollution created by motor vehicles.

"There is also evidence that it harms children’s health, with increased incidents of asthma around busy streets.

"We will continue to work with schools to highlight the proven benefits of cycling and walking instead of using the car and to promote active travel as the safest way to travel to school, as well as helping to improve air quality and to respond to the ongoing issue of climate change."

Jason Redmond, the headteacher of Flixton Primary, added: "Our school is delighted to take part in this initiative and we have always encouraged our children to think about the environment.

"Our pupils are spreading the message that the way journeys are made to school have to change to ensure that the area is a healthier and greener school environment.

"We want to encourage as many parents and children as possible to walk to school, and for those who have to drive to school, to park away from the school entrance."

For more information on the Urmston Active Neighbourhood, go to trafford.gov.uk/urmstonactiveneighbourhood.