THE Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is spearheading a campaign to encourage people to pursue a career in environmental health.

The number of people training to enter the profession has fallen dramatically in recent years and research indicates a major image problem.

Launching a new website www.ehocareers.org and literature pack, Paul Robinson, director of education and professional standards at the CIEH, said: "People tend to be surprised when they find out what a career in environmental health actually involves.

"Asked what an environmental health officer does, people tend to come up with things like catching rats, unblocking drains, dealing with obstreperous people, even clearing up dog's mess in the park.

"This unappealing and misleading image is partly due to the portrayal of the profession in the media, a prime example being BBC Television's A Life of Grime.

"In fact, environmental health officers are highly qualified professionals.

"They work to ensure that the food we eat is safe and of good quality, to improve housing conditions, to safeguard standards of workplace health and safety, and to create a better environment, for example by tackling air pollution problems."

Jim Lilico, pollution and regulation manager at Darlington Borough Council, backed up the claims.

He said: "The focus in the television programmes has been on the dirty work, which, to be honest, is a very small part of the job."