CONCERNED schoolchildren have taken a stand against dog fouling and irresponsible pet owners.

Children at Ysgol Llanllyfni, Ysgol Morfa Nefyn and Ysgol Edern have produced colourful posters to highlight dog mess and litter problems in their villages.

Their campaign comes following complaints from local residents that dog fouling was an increasing problem on pavements and paths and that this was posing a real health hazard to local children.

The schoolchildren had also been inspired to act following a Tidy Towns entertainment roadshow which visited schools last year.

Children were encouraged to take an interest in their local environment and were very enthusiastic when Gwynedd’s Tidy Towns officer, Jonathan Gwyn Neale, recently visited to talk with them about their concerns.

Mr Neale said: “I find that kids generally are very pleased to have a say on community issues – not surprising really when they are often the ones who suffer most from a dirty and messy local environment.

“Their posters are very creative and get the message across very effectively – that it’s not acceptable to leave litter on the ground or to allow dogs to foul public spaces.”

Wendy Terschowetz, support assistant at Ysgol Llanllyfni, agreed.

She said: “The children were very excited by this project as it was something they felt gave them a voice on local issues.

“They are also very aware of the rights and wrongs with regard to litter and dog fouling and so felt happy that they had been given the chance to let the wider community know their feelings – that we should not tolerate litter and dog mess in our public spaces.”

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online now