Pupils found out at first hand what it is like to be a road accident victim as part of a hard-hitting demonstration to show them the dangers of reckless driving.

Sixth form drama students from St Christopher’s High School in Accrington got into character for the exercise aimed at youngsters who will soon be getting behind the wheel for the first time

The demonstration showed young people involved in a serious car crash, leaving the car a smashed wreck and the injured being stretchered away by paramedics.

More than 200 year-11 pupils from the school viewed the potentially horrifying scene as part of the Wasted Lives campaign run by local firefighters and road safety representatives.

The students also viewed videos of the causes and consequences of speeding and driving without a seatbelt and took part in interactive tasks.

Liam Barker, crew manager at Hyndburn Fire Station, said: "It’s been a very worthwhile programme because we don’t want to see young drivers needlessly killed on the roads.

"We have gone through driving theory and then later on in the week the drama students got dressed up to look as casualties in a car crash. We had firefighters and paramedics there and we talked them through a real life crash scenario."

The Wasted Lives campaign started two years ago and runs in partnership with the Lancashire Road Safety team.

Sandra Collier, deputy head at St Christopher’s High School, said: "The course has been really well received by the students and it's given them the strength and the confidence to deal with situations that may arise in the future."

The campaign is looking to visit all schools in Hyndburn over the next few months.