CHILDREN from a Poole school learned about the power of the pen when they wrote letters about the dog mess in nearby roads.

Half the year six class from Branksome Heath Middle School wrote to the Daily Echo and half to their local MP about the problem of dog fouling around Livingstone Road, Parkstone.

They received a reply from Poole MP Robert Syms and an extra visit from the Borough of Poole to clean up the mess.

The children were due to write a letter of complaint as part of their literacy work and teacher Clare Collins invited them to write down their suggested topics.

“The most popular one was the dog mess outside the school,” she said.

“I really think it’s important that the children write about something that they want to write about.

“Because they’ve had the letter from the MP and the council came out and cleaned it up, they’ve seen that by writing to somebody they can get things done in life.”

Taylor Boon, 11, was impressed to receive a reply from Mr Syms.

“I was really pleased when we got a response. I was surprised we did. I didn’t know it was against the law to let your dog foul the pavement,” he said.

Jamie Bowers, 10, was also pleased to receive a reply.

“I was surprised. I thought they would have been dealing with other stuff. I was excited to read it,” he said.

Jessica McAulay, 11, said dog fouling was an issue pupils felt strongly about. “There was a lot of it near the school and everyone kept on treading in it,” she said.

Shyam Krishnan, 11, said: “I take my dog out and I pick up after it. It gets really frustrating when you tread in someone else’s dog mess.”

KC Holland, 10, added: “It makes me really annoyed when I take my dog for a walk. I get really annoyed when I step in it.”