YOUNGSTERS in York are calling on local dog owners to clean up their act.

The three to five-year-olds have mounted a protest against lazy dog walkers who let their pets foul freely.

Children from West Thorpe Playgroup, in Dringhouses, were so appalled with the amount of dog dirt on the streets in the area, they have made an appeal to dog owners, through the pages of the Evening Press.

Playgroup supervisor Pia Powell said: "We try to go for neighbourhood walks when we study the environment.

"The children learn about how they can change it - for good and bad.

"We were specifically looking for litter, but our walk evolved into the kids counting dog poo - they thought it was disgusting."

Pia said the she spoke to the children about what they could do to solve the problem, and they decided to write this letter:

"Hello, we are the children of West Thorpe Playgroup.

"We went for a walk near our playgroup. We looked for numbers, letters and shapes. We liked that.

"We picked litter and counted dog poo. We found 18, then our tick-list was full. It's not nice, it's yacky.

"If you have a dog, please bring a bag and pick the poo up."

Little Amy Knight, aged four, was involved in writing the letter.

She said: "When my dog does poos, my Daddy picks them up. I think everyone else should too."

Liz Levett, City of York Council's acting head of street environment, said: "I'm delighted that the young people are taking an interest in their local environment at such a young age.

"Dog fouling is an unsightly and unpleasant habit, which can have serious health risks, particularly for children.

"The council's animal health team has been working with primary school pupils across the city to try to promote good habits at an early stage and to encourage them to influence the habits of their dog walking friends and family."

The West Thorpe Playgroup - for two-and-a-half to five-year-olds - meets every Monday afternoon and during the morning between Tuesday and Friday. There is also a toddler group for children up to two-and-a-half, at which parents and other carers can socialise, and the toddlers can play.

That group meets every Monday morning during term time between 9.45am and 11.15am.

If you want to find out about playgroups in your area, phone the children's information service on 01904 613161.

Updated: 08:49 Saturday, April 01, 2006