School children in Marsden have stepped up the fight against the Colne Valley dog poo menace with their own poster and reward card campaign.

The artistic efforts of pupils from Marsden Infant and Nursery School will be showcased in public areas as part of a heartfelt plea to make dog owners clean up after their pets.

Liberal Democrat councillor Nicola Turner and Conservative councillor Donna Bellamy joined forces with dog warden Julie Driver to judge the competition and talk to children about the dangers of leaving dog dirt behind.

Residents, councillors and dog wardens have been working to tackle the unpleasant issue that has been plaguing the valley for the last few months.

Four winners from year one and two were chosen for their creative, eye-catching designs which will make dog walkers think twice.

They were Isla Carter, 5, Meadow Daly, 7, Daniel Roberts, 7, and Mina Edwards, 6.

Reward cards will also be given out to thank responsible pet owners.

Clr Bellamy, who presented them with book tokens for their efforts at a special assembly, said: “We thought that this would be an excellent project to involve the pupils with and it was difficult to pick the overall winners.

“It follows a decision to get dog wardens to go into schools to talk about the dangers of dog fouling following a public meeting earlier this year.

“I would like to thank the pupils and staff for all their time and hard work.”

The posters and cards will now be created by the council’s graphics department and displayed in Marsden.

Headteacher Frances Swallow said: “I think the posters will work better than normal signs because they have been drawn from the heart.

“The competition has made the children aware of the importance of responsible dog ownership and it’s been nice to work with the council on this.”

Another public meeting on dog fouling will be held on April 9 at 7.30pm at the British Legion in Marsden, where details of a community group will be finalised.

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