St Albans schoolchildren are being given tips on personal safety by acting out real-life scenarios.

At the Crucial Crew sessions at St Albans fire station, children are given strategies to deal with scenarios such as fires in the home, cyber bullying and the effects of alcohol.

Mayor Cllr Frances Leonard joined the children for one of the sessions, with many more to take place until Tuesday, 28 March.

She said: ““Crucial Crew is a fantastic fun way for children to learn how to protect themselves from the various dangers that can occur in everyday life.

“I was impressed with the way they acted out the real-life scenarios and how they took on board the safety advice given by the public agencies.”

The sessions are designed to teach children to keep safe online and outdoors, with more than 1,100 children attending from 28 schools.

This is the fifth year that St Albans Community Safety Partnership has run Crucial Crew for local schools in St Albans District.

Other scenarios included learning to talk in confidence with the Samaritans, first aid, road safety and the dangers of flood water.