A PIONEERING road safety park with child-sized cars is coming to Medway after all.

Jumicar UK applied to set up the centre at the Transco depot in Pier Road, Gillingham, but permission was originally refused over safety fears.

Now, Chatham Historic Dockyard has decided to allow the park for six to 12-year-olds at Slip No.5.

The attraction is set to open on April 29 with a refreshment area from which parents can see their children driving around.

The aim is to promote road safety while children have fun.

Ann McGrane, at Jumicar, said: "We would like as many children as possible to benefit from our training programme and what better way than having fun on their birthdays.

"We are sure that children will enjoy driving our mini cars and hope that parents will see the benefits of this innovative way of getting across the road safety message. Our plans are to obtain sponsorship for children to be offered the complete course, free of charge through their schools."

Youngsters will be able to practise on a course with a mini roadway, traffic lights and road signs, earning themselves a junior licence.

Jumicar use child-sized petrol-driven cars, giving children their first taste of how to steer, brake and accelerate.

The centre will also teach them to react to traffic lights and zebra crossings, learn road signs, cope with traffic flow, recognise hazards and become aware of cyclists and pedestrians.