Do you believe in little green men?

Well 'aliens' have landed in Bury to encourage us humans to cross our roads safely!

The Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative (NRSI) in Bury has enlisted the help of two 'extra terrestrials' to highlight the dangers to pedestrians on the borough's roads.

On Tuesday the pair touched down at the town's Mill Gate Shopping Centre as part of the Initiative's 'We believe in little green men' campaign.

The out-of-this-world duo carried placards to protest at needless pedestrian road casualties and to encourage those on foot to avoid risks and to use pedestrian crossings wherever possible.

In 2003 and 2004, five people were killed on roads in the borough, 36 were seriously injured and 208 sustained minor injuries.

Bury Council's executive member for environment and transport, Councillor John Byrne, said: "This may be a very light-hearted event, but there is a very serious message that we are trying to get across. As the number of cars on our roads continues to increase, pedestrians have to be aware of the need for extra care.

"While children are the most vulnerable none of us should be complacent. I welcome any initiative that drives home the road safety message."

Bury's NRSI officer, Ted Booker, added: "Pedestrian inattention is a big issue. People continue to be at risk on our roads and that is increased with the use of mobile phones, personal hi-fi systems or even while engrossed in conversation. All take our attention away from the dangers."

The regional NRSI campaign is being mounted throughout Greater Manchester and there will be opportunities to spot the aliens in Prestwich, Radcliffe over the next few weeks.

The campaign is using bus advertising along with over five million bus tickets to raise the issue of pedestrian road safety and offer the public the opportunity to win one of ten monthly bus passes.