Pupils at Gwauncelyn Primary School were the latest group of youngsters to enjoy a visit from the Church Village Bypass team to educate them on the dangers of gaining access to construction sites.

During the past few weeks a programme of demonstrations at 10 local primary schools have been organised by Costain, the contractors appointed by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to deliver the major highway scheme.

This means that over 2,500 children aged between five and 11 were made aware of the dangers associated with unauthorized and unsupervised access onto construction sites.

This week children at Gwauncelyn in Tonteg who attended the demonstration were given a specially designed safety comic, a pen and a ruler and also agreed with the team not to enter or go onto any part of the construction site.

Cllr Andrew Morgan, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Customer Care at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “Safety comes first with the Church Village Bypass scheme and as part of our project we want to educate more young people on how hazardous construction sites can be. They can be very intriguing for children, but at the end of the day can be an extremely dangerous environment to visit for youngsters who often don’t see the hazards before them.

“Thanks to this series of talks I’m sure every child has understood how important it is to adhere to the rules and not enter any construction sites.”

The Church Village Bypass is the largest scheme of its kind being undertaken by a local authority in the UK and is seen as strategically important for the economic regeneration of the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The work is the culmination of a successful campaign over many years and is seen as a major step forward in linking the A4119 at Talbot Green with Pontypridd and the A470. The bypass is a partnership project between Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and construction company Costain, with funding obtained from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Transport Grant Scheme.

Brian Greaves, Community Relations Manager with Costain Ltd said: "“With the Easter holidays coming up and the lighter evenings there is always a chance that children will stray into the construction areas. We are also grateful to South Wales Police for their support in reconfirming the strong message we have delivered to the children.”