A LION is protecting the gardens of a Worcester primary school - or so the cats in the area have been led to believe.

Two pupils at Lyppard Grange Primary School decided to try out an unusual form of pest control after local moggies damaged their plants and flowers.

Year Six pupils Rebecca Kineman and Amy Burton took the advice of an environmental expert and wrote to West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley with an unusual request.

The 11-year-olds asked head warden Bob Lawrence if they could take away some of the park's spare lion dung.

Mr Lawrence wrote back and invited the girls to the park to pick up the big cats' droppings.

The lion litter will be used to form a protective barrier around the garden's precious plants. The theory is that the dung tricks cats into believing that a large predator is lurking in the garden.

"The girls wrote to ask for some 'large feline dung' rather than lion poo!" said Year Six teacher Sally Evans.

The park was very surprised by the request, but they said the letter was very well written, and they invited them in to collect it.

"I was impressed with the girls - I'm very proud of them. We'll have to see if it works now!"

The idea came from John Rhymer, an expert at Bishop's Wood Environmental Centre, who gave the school advice about how to improve its garden.

Rebecca and Amy took up the suggestion and went to the safari park yesterday with their head teacher, Janet Cope. They also played with the lion cubs.

"People use it to keep all sorts of animals off their land, including deer, foxes and even badgers," said Mr Lawrence. "It's often made artificially, but this is the real McCoy!"