The first day of competition for the FIRST Lego League kicked off today at Furness college.

12 teams of school children competed for the chance to represent Cumbria at the UK national final in Bristol.

The teams all brought their own Lego robots to complete an obstacle course challenge.

They also had to give a presentation on an issue of their choice and how they would resolve it.

Teams behaviour were also judged based on FIRST Lego League's core values.

Fran Ward, Co-Director of C-Stem, organisers of the Lego League contest in Furness, said:

"This is the third year we've run the event in Barrow, we started with seven teams and now are the largest provider of teams across the UK and Ireland with 67 teams.

"The programme enables children to learn about communication and team work.

"Our ultimate goal is to encourage interest in STEM subjects.

"We want to get the new generation involved in engineering and new technologies like robotics.

"Automation is key for the future of industry so it is important children understand this technology to succeed in the major industries in the area."