THE creative flair of school pupils was let loose when they took part in a special road safety poster competition.

The competition was open to all pupils at schools across Basingstoke to coincide with National Safety Week.

The pupils at Castle Hill Infant School, in Winklebury Way, Winklebury, were asked to design their own road safety poster to be in with the chance of winning a bike and safety equipment - comprising a cycle helmet, a set of lights and a fluorescent vest - donated by Halfords.

After sifting through the many entries, organisers picked Leanne Huckstepp's as the best, and the seven-year-old was presented with her red Apollo Outburst bike at the end of a school assembly.

Robert Maskell, deputy manager at Halfords, said it was important for youngsters to be aware of road safety, especially with the evenings drawing in.

He said: "A lot of the children don't like wearing the helmets and the safety vests, but they are not meant to look good, they are there to save lives."

The competition followed a visit to the school by a team of safety officers earlier this year from Sainsbury's supermarket's distribution centre.

The visitors used a £350,000 truck equipped with state-of-the-art technology to give lessons in road safety.