FOUL language has been used on a village sign to tackle a dirty problem - dog walkers leaving their pets' mess in public.
But some villagers feel using the word "s**t" sets a bad example to youngsters using the Memorial Hall playing fields, in Gotham.
Trustees of the hall say dog muck has been a long-standing problem and they resorted to the language on the sign to draw attention to it.
The sign, in the window of the playing fields pavilion, says: "Please do not bring your dog to s**t here".
But dog walker Michael Shelton, 67, of Wodehouse Avenue, said : "There are youngsters aged eight to 12 using that pitch and it sets an awful example.
"We put in a complaint and said they should replace them with proper signs but they just poo-pooed the idea."
Mr Shelton said only a small minority of dog owners were guilty of leaving the muck and responsible owners should not have to see such language. "Gotham is a picturesque village that we love to live in and signs like this are offensive," he said.
"If people come from other places to play cricket or football, what will they think of the village?"
Mr Shelton said other dog walkers shared his opinion but he is the only person yet to complain to the board of trustees.
Although he has written to the trustees, Gotham Parish Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council, the trustees say they are keeping the signs. Pat Dines, from the board, said the safety of youngsters was more important than bad language – as dog mess could cause damage to people's eyes.
"We have up to 80 children on the site at one time and their safety is our main concern," she said. "We would rather they see and use the words than go through it while they're playing.
"We've tried everything else but it hasn't worked. The chaps who do the lines for the football pitch have to clear it up every Sunday morning."
Mrs Dines, who owns a border collie, added that the trustees were prepared to review the signs if enough complaints were raised, but one objector was not enough for them to take the sign down.
The Memorial Hall and recreation ground is run by the trustees, who are a registered charity.
The site includes a doctors' surgery, library, floodlit tennis courts and five-a-side football pitches, a bowls green and the playing fields.
Former parish council chairman Rebecca Muir said she thought the language was necessary to raise awareness of the problem. She now runs a dog-grooming firm called Hair Off the Dog.
"As a dog owner, I think this sign helps embarrass the people who are causing the problem and hopefully bring attention to it," she added.
