Schoolchildren took on the Elected Mayor of Watford at the launch of an innovative new fitness initiative.

Mayor Dorothy Thornhill and pupils from Laurance Haines Primary School tried out the Beat The Street ‘game’ which was unveiled today.

Dozens of Oyster Card-style swipe points have been erected around Watford with people winning points by tapping the sensors as they walk, run or cycle around the town.

The free challenge is led by Intelligent Health and Hertfordshire County Council in a bid to get people up and out doing exercise.

Michelle Roberts from Intelligent Health said: “The boxes record how long it takes you to travel between each point and logs your improvement every time you swipe between the boxes.

“Beat The Street started in Reading and it has been rolled out at various different towns. It has been really successful getting people out in the community doing physical exercise.”

Participants are rewarded points every time they tap a box, with the rewards logged on a leaderboard on the Beat The Street website.

To apply for your Beat The Street card and more information on the project email team.herts@beatthestreet.me or tweet @btsherts.