PARENTS say they are fed up with walking their children to school past obscene graffiti nobody wishes to remove.

They claim the council refuses to clean up swear words that were scrawled throughout a Portland neighbourhood two months ago.

The obscenities were written on fences in an alleyway close to Clarence Road in Easton and have also been daubed on lamp-posts and garages in the area.

Mum-of-two Delia Harris said a lot of children are exposed to the bad language on the way to school.

The graffiti is close to St George's Primary School, which shares a site with the Little Dragons Pre-School and the Haylands Pre-School.

Mrs Harris said: "It's becoming embarrassing having my five-year-old son ask me what certain words mean.

"It's absolutely ridiculous that nothing has been done about it yet."

Mrs Harris said she contacted Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to see if the graffiti could be cleaned off, but was told it was residents' responsibility.

She said graffiti is getting worse by the day.

"There are big black letters in spray paint as tall as a child," she said.

"It's only being added to now - and the place is becoming like a ghetto."

Sian Freeman, play leader at Little Dragons Pre-School, said: "It is just disgusting and is everywhere.

"No one is making the effort to get rid of it."

She said the graffiti had the initials LMS written next to it - an abbreviation for teenage gang Littlemoor Soldiers.

Mrs Freeman added: "Children coming to the pre-school are only about four and luckily can't read this yet, but it certainly isn't promoting good language skills for the primary school children."

Councillor Tim Munro, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for community health and safety, said: "The Wipe Out project team are dealing with the problem as a matter of urgency but unfortunately an instant remedy is not possible when damage occurs on private property as we first have to seek written permission from the landowners.

"The team has been arranging this and will be going out to clean the graffiti from all the properties who have given permission."

He added: "It is very disappointing to see the way this area has been vandalised."

* Residents wishing to report graffiti can call or text the Wipe Out team on 07972 688816.