SPEEDING motorists were publicly shamed by youngsters as they took action to make the road outside their school a safer place. The year six pupils of Cressing Primary School in Cressing, near Braintree, helped Essex Police and Essex County Council raise awareness of the dangers of speeding along the busy B1018 between Braintree and Witham.

SPEEDING motorists were publicly shamed by youngsters as they took action to make the road outside their school a safer place.

The year six pupils of Cressing Primary School in Cressing, near Braintree, helped Essex Police and Essex County Council raise awareness of the dangers of speeding along the busy B1018 between Braintree and Witham.

The 10 and 11-year-olds joined forces yesterdaywith police from Bocking road policing unit and Elaine Beckett, local road safety officer, to assist with detecting speeding drivers.

Motorists, of all ages up to 82 years old, were spoken to by the children who explained the dangers of speeding past their school.

The aim was to ensure they realised the possible human cost of their actions and encourage them to reduce their speed in the future.

The road runs right past the school gates and is subject to a 40mph speed limit. It is recognised as one of the worst routes in the area for casualties. In 2002, 38 people were injured in crashes, four seriously.

In total 17 cars were stopped during the morning. One woman, caught doing more than 50mph, is to be prosecuted.

Headteacher Carol Leverett said: "The pupils in our top class jumped at the opportunity to let speeding drivers know just how they feel about them. They have designed leaflets and posters to display and they used our school motto 'dare to do it right' to challenge the drivers to reconsider their speed in the future."

Insp Mark Harman said: "So often, children are the victims of drivers' careless and unthinking actions. This initiative allows them to play a part in improving their environment, spreading the message that speed kills."

All involved felt the morning was a success, including the drivers.

Mrs Beckett said: "They said it was a very sobering message, especially as it was delivered by the children to give it more impact.

"When they got out of the vehicles the children paced out their stopping distances and one of the things they all commented about was the fact they did not realise how long their stopping distances were. They agreed they would not have been able to stop in time if a child had run out into the road."