Boy (6) in 'shag band' shocker. VOTE

HORRIFIED mum Alison Gascoigne says that the "shagband" craze which outraged  parents across the country during the summer, is still thriving in Rotherham.

Children as young as six are wearing them—and are aware of their hidden sexual messages, she said.

The craze hit the headlines when stunned mums and dads discovered that children in their thousands were buying the innocuous-looking plastic bracelets for pocket money.

What do you think of the 'shag band' craze' . Click here to e-mail the editor.

But most parents were unaware that the bands hid a shocking sexual meaning.

The bracelets, called "shagbands," come in a variety of colours representing different sexual acts from a kiss to full sex, and if someone breaks the band, the wearer has to perform the act to which the colour refers as a forfeit.

Now 46-year-old Alison, from Greasbrough, says that the seedy bracelets are still on sale in Rotherham and are being worn by primary school children.

She has called for them to be outlawed after spotting them on the shelves at the new Poundworld store at Parkgate Shopping.

This week a spokesman for the firm rejected the call, saying that the bracelets were not aimed at children but at young adults and the firm was not breaking any trading legislation.

But Alison, mother of a four-year-old boy, said: "I am disgusted that these so-called 'shagbands' with strong sexual connotations are on sale in Rotherham and are clearly being bought by children.

"I believe they could put children in harm's way and could even be used by paedophiles to tempt children into performing sexual acts."

Alison said that she was stunned to find her niece’s children, a boy aged six and a girl aged 10 were wearing the "shagbands"—and the boy even explained that breaking a black band meant a forfeit of performing oral sex.

"He used words and motions to show he knew what oral sex meant and and I was appalled that such a thing could even be in a young boy’s mind," said Alison. "It made me feel physically sick."

Alison explained: "The bands come in different colours, each representing a certain sexual act. If someone breaks one of the bands, then you have to perform the forfeit to which the colour refers.

"To what extent the sexual acts connected to these bands are acted out in the playground I cannot say, but I cannot express how sickened I was to hear a six-year-old boy casually inform me of the significance of one of the coloured bands.

"For him to formulate such a sentence, never mind process its meaning, is beyond comprehension and makes me feel truly sad for his innocence to be so sullied, for the financial gain of companies who hide behind statements such as 'we are not breaking any laws selling them and they are not aimed at children.'

"They are just trying to justify the presence of these hideous things on their shelves and the profit made from them."

A spokesman for Poundworld said: “"Poundworld is not marketing this product for children, by its' name and the image of young adults on the packaging it is clearly aimed at those above the age of consent.

“Poundworld follows all retail legislation and there is no legislation, we are aware of, which would prevent this product being sold.

 “This product is a fashion accessory that has become a national craze, they are available to buy at most fashion high street retailers.

“However Poundworld does offer the best value, with 40 bands for £1. Poundworld aims to meet its' customers' requirements and provide great value products.

“Poundworld is growing rapidly as a result of a great value product offer, which has led to increased customer demand and which has benefited all our customers during these hard economic times."