Life behind bars became a reality for Keighley schoolchildren, as part of an anti-crime campaign in the town.

Pupils at Oakbank School were introduced to the day-to-day routine of jail life and the sounds and smells of being locked up by Hull prison officer Paul Wilkinson.

Two pupils had the chance to try on prison clothes including the "escape clothing" - blue overalls with a yellow stripe - worn by inmates who had attempted to break free.

Twelve year-old Joe Atkinson, who volunteered to wear the escape gear, said: "I now know that prison life isn't like you see on television, like in Bad Girls.

"It's not as violent and vicious but it's still not a place I would like to be in."

Craig Porter, 14, who dressed in the regular prison clothing of brown sweatshirt and trousers, with "Hull Prison" stamped on the garments, said: "Not everybody in prison is so bad. People slip up and make mistakes. But it's not somewhere I would like to be."

Mr Wilkinson, a volunteer worker with the Prison Service charity Prison Me, No Way told pupils: "I don't enjoy locking young people up because I have seen the heartache and desperation it causes.

"It can be the hardest people who can have the worse experiences and break down because they miss their family and friends.

"I hope that what I have shown influences young people to make the right choices in life and not to end up in prison."

The Oakbank event was part of the Keighley Partners Against Crime campaign being run throughout the week by Keighley police, Keighley anti-crime partnership and Keighley single regeneration bosses.

It was launched on Monday by BBC television weatherman Paul Hudson, who was educated and brought up in the town.

A number of other events are due to take place including action by Bradford district drugs team, which will be executing warrants as part of the Crackdown initiative.

A specialist sniffer dog will be in town to hunt for criminals who may be carrying drugs.

Keighley's Airedale shopping centre is also decked out with displays and information about safer transport, drugs, hate crime, domestic violence, police recruitment and the Probation Service.

Today the winners of a school writing competition on how to prevent crime will be announced.

Superintendant Mark Whyman, divisional commander of Keighley Police, said he hoped people would support all the hard work that was being done in Keighley to stamp out crime and anti-social behaviour.