AN initiative to teach young parents with baby buggies road safety skills is being piloted in the North-East.

The Buggy Glow course is the brainchild of Mike Hall, road safety officer for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, who hit on the idea while he was pushing his young son, Joshua, along unlit roads in Spain.

"I put flashing lights on the buggy and the next thing I knew the Spanish police had stopped me, saying what a good idea it was. I did the same in London and got the same reaction, and the course has just snowballed from that," said Mr Hall.

The 90-minute course concentrates on three main areas - safety equipment, the defensive stance and proper crossing points. Mr Hall will be helped with it by Redcar Health Centre's health visitor, Jane Bilton.

At the end of the course, there is a certificate and a voucher for a local baby shop.

Mr Hall said: "This is a pilot course, but we think we are on to a winner. There are all sorts of benefits. We are encouraging walking, we are promoting good road safety and we think it will be a lot of fun."

The first training session took place at the Roseberry Youth and Community Centre, in Redcar, east Cleveland, yesterday