Primary school pupils have been making flags to mark the Tour de France coming through the district on Monday.

A series of sessions organised by Epping Forest District Council Arts Development Department have seen professional artists visit Coopersale & Theydon Garnon, Lambourne, Moreton and St Andrew's schools.

Each pupil designed a flag representing something about Epping Forest which had to have a bike tyre-like design around the outside.

St Andrews Primary School held a workshop at which teachers from the participating schools transferred the designs onto the flags using wax.

Headteacher, Julie Lorkins, said: “The project gives the opportunity for the children to work with a professional artist who can bring skills into the school which we don’t have among staff.

“I think the flags are a good way of representing the school in a positive light in the community.”

The artists then returned to the schools to help pupils with the final stage of dying the flags.

St Andrew’s School will display its flags at the end of School Green Road, North Weald, on the day while others will be displayed at Moreton School in Church Road, and the rest outside the civic offices in High Street, Epping.

Deputy head at Coopersale and Theydon Garnon, Maree Mathews, said: “There were some great designs using inspiration from the area such as deer and other wildlife.

“It would have been difficult for us to resource a project like this so it was nice for the council to do it for us.”

The flags will be returned to the schools after the race to be used until the end of term and then displayed in the Civic Offices during the summer holidays.