A group working to keep Britain clean wants soccer players to stop spitting.

The charity "Keep Britain Tidy," in a letter to the head of the players' union, says players spitting on the field sets a bad example for children.

Alan Woods the group's chief executive says, "Spitting remains the ultimate insult, a contemptuous gesture drowning in hate," the group's chief executive said. "But it is not just revolting - it has a cost."

The Campaign claimed that streets have become caked in chewing gum and saliva and the fear of catching infections such as TB has increased because kids copy sloppy Premiership stars.

Woods says, "Football has done much to bring people together and combat problems such as racism."

He continues, "Now it's time to tackle spitting."

To illustrate how dangerous health professionals view spitting, Alan Woods pointed to the reaction to the SARS outbreak in China, back in 2003. There, spitting was banned with hefty fines levied on offenders. Since Tuberculosis is carried in tiny water droplets, it can be transferred by spit - and cases of TB are on the rise in England.