CHILDREN are to be warned that electricity can kill with a series of hard-hitting films created by media students.

Power supplier CE Electric has enlisted students from Darlington College to film a series of safety videos that aim to prevent nine to 11-year olds playing near pylons, cables and sub-stations.

Using actors from Darlington Education Village, the second year national diploma students have written and filmed a series of storylines based on electricity safety.

These include flying kites near pylons, climbing on potentially lethal equipment and fishing near cables.

The videos will be shown at a safety workshop tour of schools - which will also include a group of actors called the Crucial Crew - highlighting the dangers of being near high voltage equipment.

For impact, the videos have been shot as if they were real footage taken on a young person's mobile phone that might be posted on YouTube.

The videos will be accompanied by a safety rap written as part of a school wide competition throughout Yorkshire.

Darlington College tutor Mike Chapman said: "There is no better way for our students to develop than by working on a live brief for a real client.

"It has been a fantastic experience for them and they have all done really well. The final product will have much more impact because it has been produced by young people for young people."