Police are using children to shame speeding drivers by asking them why they are going so fast

Children are being used by police to shame speeding drivers who have been pulled over - by asking them why they were travelling so fast.

So-called “mini police” schemes send primary school pupils to monitor traffic with roadside policing units, arming them with speed guns to detect reckless motorists.

Any driver stopped for speeding is given the option of accepting the traditional penalties or facing censure from children as young as eight, who remind them speeding can kill.

It is thought the initiative - jointly run by the police and local authorities - is an effective means of deterring drivers from straying over the speed limit.

More serious cases of speeding will not form part of the scheme and are still to be punished in the usual manner.

Trials of the child-led crackdown began in London but have since spread to Hertfordshire, West Yorkshire and Northumbria.

In most cases, drivers have opted to endure a roadside ticking off by a pupil, who asks questions such as “why do you think the speed limit is 20mph on this road?” and “are you aware of the consequences of speeding”.

Children from Morley Victoria Primary School in Leeds took a different approach when they worked with officers to use a speed gun - with speeding drivers being sent a ticket drawn by the pupils which reminded them to obey the law.

The scheme was first funded in the capital by Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police as part of an effort to slash the number of road deaths and injuries.

Between 2015 and 2017, 1,381 children were injured in traffic collisions while travelling to school in London.

Nineteen boroughs have now either trialled the scheme or are setting up their first sessions.

Heidi Alexander, London's deputy mayor for transport, said the initiative - also known as “Junior Roadwatch” - will help "raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, making our streets more welcoming places to spend time".

Tony Mannakee, from the Metropolitan Police, said he hoped the roadside shaming would make motorists "consider the implications of excessive speeds and encourage safer driving behaviour”.