The painful death of a much loved puppy who swallowed a plastic bag has inspired children who loved him to clean up the rubbish on their local recreation ground.

Milo, a healthy five-and-a-half-month-old Golden-Doodle puppy, died after swallowing a discarded plastic bag during a walk on Datchet Recreation Ground. It became lodged in his intestine and he died after days of agony and emergency surgery.

On Saturday 20 children gathered at the recreation ground to mark Milo's death by clearing litter from the area.

Among them was nine-year-old Caitlin Carter and her brother Max, six, whose grandparents Liz and Jamie Doran live in the village and were Milo's owners.

Caitlin, who lives in Windsor, said: "“In Eco club we learn about the dangers of rubbish to the environment and now it has killed Milo. Grown-ups should know better.

"My friends and I wanted to do something to remember Milo. We loved him and it was so cruel that these horrible people just throw their rubbish away without caring about animals."

The children have tagged themselves as Milo's Marauders and include family members and friends of Caitlin and Max. They next plan to target the Pirate Park in Dedworth Road, Windsor on Sunday, August 23 - collecting litter as part of their 'stop the drop' campaign.

Caitlin's mum Tracey Carter was with the children on Saturday. She said: "It was disgusting how much litter we collected in less than an hour.

"I don't know what has happened to people during lockdown."

Milo's owner Jamie Doran posted on the Datchet Eye website saying that 11 bags of rubbish were picked up by the children.

He said: "What was rather striking was that there are so many virtually empty bins in the area. Yet these morons continue to endanger our domestic pets with their littering."