DOG owners have been urged to help solve a school's messy problem - by training their pets to use the loo!

Two special 'doggie toilets' have been built in a bid to wipe out the dog mess which lies around Griffin Park Primary School, Blackburn.

Worried governors approached Blackburn Borough Council who then built three-metre-square toilets near the entrance to Griffin Park, where the school is built.

Headteacher Craig Ward said: "Our playing fields are a particularly nasty area.

"Quite often children will come off the pitch covered in dog mess.

"The toilets have only been in operation for a week so it's difficult to tell how effective they will be, but we're glad they're there." The poop area is fenced-off to prevent youngsters entering and the gravel base is regularly cleansed.

Stan Mills, the council's outdoor amenities officer, said it was now up to owners to train dogs to use the toilets.

He said: "Dogs can be trained to use these toilets properly.

"I believe they can even be trained to do their business on command when the owner whistles.

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