A BIN overflowing with bags of dog dirt outside a primary school has sparked outrage over hygiene.

The head at St Peter's Primary School, Darwen, has ordered pupils not to use the bin until something is done.

But today, following calls from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Blackburn with Darwen Council insisted it was planning to install two new dog bins.

The bin, just feet away from the school entrance, is used daily by dog owners passing between two popular paths.

It has provoked fears over toxocara from dog faeces, which can cause blindness and liver damage.

School cook Karen Marsden made a formal complaint to Blackburn with Darwen Council after she claimed the situation had got much worse over the past few weeks as the weather improved.

She said: "It is so unhygienic. I have seen the children trying to find space between the bags of dog muck to put sweet and lolly wrappers in the bin. It's disgusting.

"This bin is completely unsuitable for the type of rubbish it is being used for. It is a health and safety issue.

"There shouldn't be dog walking areas and no bins. They encourage people to pick up their mess but the only bin is outside a school; it's wrong."

Head teacher Ruth Bessant said: " It is a very unpleasant situation.

"It seems to have got worse recently where the bin is spilling over."

Karen Lightbrown, 41, of Marsh House Lane, whose son John, seven, attends the school, said: "This has always been a problem, especially in summer. It smells. It's time something was done."

Tony Watson, cleaning and amenities manager for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We are installing two new dog bins on the path used by dog walkers.

"We are also replacing the litter bin outside the school with a larger one."