DETERMINED nursery children have launched a campaign against dog fouling in their local area.

Kids at the Parkhead Community Nursery started “No More Dog Poo on our Shoe” after they noticed an increase in the amount of mess they saw on their daily outings to the park.

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Head of the centre, Nikki Black was among the staff who helped the children launch the drive. She said:”The children go up to Tollcross Park often and on their way there, they began to notice dog mess within the area and they started pointing it out to the staff.

"On their way back, they walk down a different street, they actually had to walk in single file because there was so much which isn’t safe. We normally walk in pairs or double up.”

Nikki also noticed that the children were coming back from walks with faeces on their shoes and that there was a lack of bins for dog dirt. She came up with the idea of creating posters to put up around the area and the slogan “No More Dog Poo on our Shoe”.

Early years workers have also been supporting the children to put up bag dispensers around Parkhead and Tollcross to encourage dog owners to bin the mess.

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She added: “This sparked the conversation with families so we put that message out to the parents that if they see people not picking it up, to point it out to them. We then started looking at why it was dangerous for children if they fell while they were playing.”

Dog faeces contains toxins which may cause toxocariasis, an infection that has the potential to affect eyesight.

Nikki sent a tweet to representatives including MP for Glasgow East, David Linden. He visited the children to discuss the campaign, listen to their concerns and answer questions.

He said: “The kids at Parkhead Nursery are absolutely right to raise the blight of dog fouling in our community. After meeting with the children, I’ve asked Glasgow City Council to install more bins so that residents can dispose of their dog dirt.

“It is so encouraging to see children as young as four years old taking a keen interest in local issues. It really is testament to the amazing staff at Parkhead Community Nursery that some of my youngest constituents are already taking an active citizenship role and thinking about the environment.Well done to all involved!”