CHILDREN at Whitefield Infant School, Nelson, want to tell dog owners to clear up after their pets.

The school is running an anti dog-dirt campaign to highlight the problems and inconvenience it can cause.

So far, more than 250 letters and leaflets have been sent out to parents and people living in the Lomeshaye area of town.

The school is being backed by Pendle council, which itself has recently introduced regulations which mean dog owners who do not clear up after their pets could be fined up to £1,000.

Environment boss Stuart Arnott said: "We are now getting tough on a problem which has been making people hot under the collar for years.

"Dog fouling isn't just unsightly, it is a very real health hazard. For example, children playing at school and around our parks and football pitches can run the risk of catching the disease toxicara from dog dirt which can cause blindness."

The council is installing an extra 25 dog bins around the borough for owners who clean up.

If there are no bins, owners are asked to carry a pooper scooper and a bag and to dispose of the dirt with the domestic refuse at home.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.