CHILDREN armed with brushes and paint are to transform their estate’s “miserable” underpass to brighten up their community.

Young artists from Sandhills Primary School are to paint a mural in the space under the A40 in a £20,000 project later this month.

Year Three teacher Emma Hunter-Lacey has designed the image based on students’ ideas under the theme of “sustainability”.

The Terrett Avenue teacher will first draw the mural outline on the underpass before the children colour it in.

The project is due to start next Monday, October 21.

Miss Hunter said children were asked to come up with ideas. She said: “I amalgamated all the designs and came up with one overall design.”

The teacher, who is also an artist, said it was a great project for pupils to be involved in.

She said: “It will give them a sense of ownership over a local space they use frequently.”

Van Coulter, Oxford City Council member for Barton and Sandhills, said the area needed refreshing.

He said: “It will be great. I see it currently as a dead space which gives you a pretty miserable impression when you are passing through it. I think this will transform it into a far more interesting utility.”

Oxfordshire County Council has pledged the £20,000 funding and Wheatley Park School is also expected to be involved in the decorating.

Spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “The work is being done to help create a better environment to encourage people to use the facility instead of crossing the A40.”

He said the project was also likely to reduce vandalism, adding: “Local school pupils will paint murals on its walls, which will then be sprayed with a protective coating to help guard against future vandalism.

“It is the council’s experience that involving the community in projects like this actually results in less vandalism in the future.”

Terrett Avenue resident Alex Lalvani, 36, said people want the underpass improved to brighten up the environment. He said: “Kids use it to go to school.”