Young village cyclists have been rewarded for their commitment to cycling to school with a new shelter.

More than 120 children -- a third of all pupils -- at Watchfield Primary School, near Faringdon, cycle to school. That compares with a county average of only three per cent for primary pupils.

Oxfordshire County Council transport officers were so impressed they have given the school a £35,000 shelter for bikes, trikes and scooters.

The school's success in encouraging children to cycle to school follows the adoption of a cycle-friendly travel plan, which led to the creation of a daily 'cycle train' to and from school.

Headteacher Huw Evans said: "Previously, cycles and scooters littered the playground and were exposed to all the elements. "Now the children have somewhere safe, dry and secure to store their cycles and they've got their playground back."

The shelters were paid for by the Countryside Agency and Oxfordshire County Council's Better Ways to School programme.

The county council's executive member for transport, David Roberts, said: "Facilities such as this will help support children who already cycle to school, and offer an incentive to others who might be encouraged to get on their bikes, for many years to come."