Schools are constantly trying to shield their pupils from bad language. So one primary school was not best pleased when the council put up a sign nearby telling dog owners to “Pick **it up!”

You don’t have to be the brightest Year 6 in the box to realise what the missing letters are. The sign was erected opposite St Stephen’s Primary School, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, in an attempt to get owners to clean up after their pets. But Lichfield District Council soon realised it had fallen foul of parents and teachers, and vowed to remove the poster.

Despite apologising for any offence, the council maintains its hard-hitting approach is justified: “It seems no matter what we do, people continue to let their dogs foul on the streets and don’t clear it up,” says councillor Ben Adams.

It appears that dogs are particularly partial to the pavements and grass surrounding schools. The area around nearby Calshot Primary School in Birmingham has been dubbed a “canine convenience” by parents and teachers.