YOUNG rugby players have appealed for people to stop walking their dogs on playing fields.

Pupils at Bedale High School say they are fed up with having to clean dog dirt from their rugby kits and are worried about the associated health risks.

The school has just taken delivery of a number of signs asking people not to exercise dogs on the school playing fields in the interests of health and hygiene.

Rugby players Thomas Mundy and Christopher Birks, who play for Wensleydale Rugby Union Football Club as well as their school, have both had unpleasant experiences of dog dirt on the playing fields.

Thomas said: "Before a match or practice, we always have to check the pitch for dog muck. It is really unpleasant when it gets on your kit and it smells awful."

Christopher said: "It is becoming a real concern for us all when we see so many of our mates covered in dog dirt after a tackle in a game.

"It used to be funny, but we now realise how serious the problem has become."

The school's head of PE, Martyn Coombs, said many of the youngsters were very upset whenever they came into contact with dog dirt.

He said: "There is also a serious health issue concerning the risk of blindness or serious visual impairment when contact is made with the larvae of the Toxocara Canis roundworm contained in dog excrement.

"Hopefully, the new signs will be a reminder to all dog owners not to use the school site for exercising their pets."