POSTERS and stickers telling people the walking distance to a town centre are being put up as part of a council campaign.

North Yorkshire County Council is running WalkWise, the first of its kind in Britain.

It aims to provide people with information on how long it takes to walk to the town centre to encourage them to leave cars at home.

The project is being piloted in Thirsk and Sowerby, and if successful, could be introduced across the county.

Leaflets and maps will be delivered to households to reinforce the message, and there will be temporary stickers on pavements to indicate five, ten and 15-minute walk zones to let people know how far they are from the centre.

Councillor Clare Wood said: "Although you may think you know how long it would take to walk into town, research shows that people consistently overestimate how long it actually does. Conversely, they look on car journeys with decidedly rose-coloured glasses -particularly the time it takes to get parked up.

"The truth is, for the majority of journeys that start and finish in Thirsk, walking could be quicker from door to door. We want more people walking and using local shops and services rather than driving further afield."

Thirsk was chosen as a pilot town because most residents live within a ten-minute walk from the town centre.

Travel awareness officer Geoff Gardner said: "If more people walk instead of driving, not only will they enjoy the exercise and save time, but they will help tackle congestion and parking problems."