PARENTS angered by the amount of dog dirt they face as they walk their children to school are calling on South Lakeland District Council to do more about it.

A group of parents whose children attend Ghyllside Nursery at Kendal, are upset and feel that their previous letters to the council have been ignored.

"We feel that the councillors do not realise how strongly we feel about this and we are calling on them to do more," said parent Susan Nousas.

Jill Bell, of Ghyllside, said: "The problem is that the lane leading up to the nursery entrance in very thin and is regularly used by dog walkers.

"Sometimes you can't walk five yards without coming across a great pile of the stuff.

It's often impossible to negotiate it with a pram."

Nursery teacher Marie-Anne Williamson told the Gazette that there was dog dirt on the classroom carpets so often that the school now runs a policy of the children bringing a second pair of shoes to school to change into.

"We have called the council on a regular basis, two and three times a week, and because of the problem with the state of the lane we are now planning to build another school entrance off the main road.

"The school is going to have to fund this out of its own budget."

South Lakeland District Council posted leaflets with last year's council tax bills, explaining how dog owners could be fined heavily for failing to clear up mess.

As far as parents are concerned, new legislation which came into force several months ago has not banished the unpleasantness they encounter daily.

Head of environmental protection at South Lakeland District Council, Mark Richardson, said: "I acknowledge that there is a problem at Ghyllside, but apart from placing a dog warden there full time there is not much more the council can do.

"I would also like to point out that clearing up the mess is not actually the dog warden's role, and she does this as an extra voluntary duty to the community."

Chris Clinch, of South Lakeland's environmental protection group, said he received up to ten letters of complaint each week on the subject of dog dirt.

"People who fail to 'scoop the poop' can be fined £25 on-the-spot if detected by the dog warden or council officers, or if members of the public supply evidence about offences they have witnessed.

Persistent culprits can be fined up to £1,000 if taken to court," he said.

Dr Lenny Griffiths, consultant in communicable disease control at Barrow's Furness General Hospital, said dog dirt poses health risks, especially to children who play on the ground and put their contaminated fingers and toys in their mouths.

"The parasites on the dog dirt either cause no symptoms at all if you get infection or, if they do cause problems, they are potentially very serious," said Dr Griffiths, who advises people not to come into contact with dog faeces if at all possible.