THE first permanent children's road safety park in Britain, with junior-sized petrol-driven cars, is planned in Medway. The company Jumicar has applied to Medway Council to set up the centre for six to 12-year-olds in Gillingham.

It will be discussed by planning councillors next Wednesday. Ann McGrane, of Jumicar. at Chatham, said:

"It is a scheme that combines the fun of driving mini-sized cars with the serious message of road safety training. The aim is for children to have a greater knowledge of road safety, hopefully reducing the number of accidents."

The company has already given Medway children a taste of its course. It took part in a roadshow at the Civic Centre in Strood last July.

Its planned new driving park, covering 750 square metres, would be at the old Transco centre at Pier Road.

Youngsters would practice on a course that included a mini roadway. It would also have traffic lights and real life road signs and could earn them a junior licence.

Jumicar, which now has 17 centres in Europe, originated in Finland in 1989. Its head office is now in Hamburg, Germany. The UK branch, with Mrs McGrane and her husband, Tony, as co-directors, is based at College Road in the Historic Dockyard, Chatham