SCHOOL CHILDREN were given the chance to climb aboard a classic fire engine.

All the youngsters at Grange Primary School, Wickford, were invited to look around the engine, which came into service in 1964, when it parked outside their classrooms.

Headteacher Lyn Corderoy said: "The bell and the siren were completely different to how they are today, which really excited the children."

Firefighters who visited the school also taught students about firefighting during the Second World War and the Great Fire of London in 1666.