IT'S not unusual for children to be conscious about their community and the environment, as we saw only recently when children at an East Lancashire junior school devised their own poster campaign to combat dog fouling.

But it is, surely, remarkable for a five-year-old to be so aware and concerned.

And tiny Georgia-Mae Riley, who wrote to this newspaper pleading for help in getting action over a rubbish-strewn site near her home, deserves praise for showing such public-spiritedness at such a young age.

But it really is a pity when a little child has to prompt the council to get something done. After all, this disused land at Rishton, full of rubbish, glass and dog dirt, has been left untouched for almost 18 months ever since the local authority gave in to five years of pleading by neighbours to pull down an eyesore block of council flats.

Why have they let one mess replace another, to the extent that the site has become a health and safety risk, especially for children?

It's the old story of lack of money. There has been talk of the site being used for a community centre, a play area, shops and other projects. And to meet the community's aspirations, it will, the council says, need a large scheme and significant funding, from 'external' sources.

But if that ambition is still somewhat distant after all these months, why must this site continue to be run-down and dangerous? Why not tidy it up and fence it off in the interim to prevent more dumping?

It's a solution not beyond the wit of a five-year-old.