A YORK schoolgirl has had her nipple pierced at the age of 14, it emerged today.

News that the unnamed girl had undergone the procedure was revealed by council officials as they launched a city-wide campaign to warn of the dangers of unregulated piercing.

Steve Adamthwaite, Principal Environmental Health Officer at the City of York Council, spoke to youngsters from Joseph Rowntree School as the campaign got under way.

Officers are worried that young people may end up scarred through ill-considered piercings they regret in later life.

They are also warning people that because of the lack of regulation people may be exposing themselves to infections from unhygienic practices.

Mr Adamthwaite said: "It (body piercing)has become more popular over the years and there are a lot of kids in York with body piercings. We advise them to wait until they are 16 as their bodies change.

"We have been showing the kids graphics pictures of what can go wrong with body piercing, such as scarring, and in some case hepatitis."

The event was part of a city-wide tour of secondary school children in York by health and safety officers to speak to youngsters about piercing.

There are currently no laws regulating body piercers, unlike tattooists, acupuncturists and ear piercers, who work to local bylaws regarding structure and cleanliness.

Anyone can set up as a body piercer, without having to register with the council's health and safety team.

The fact that there is no minimum age limit for a body piercing makes the dangers of piercing even more acute.

Mr Adamthwaite said: "Legally, we have less control over body piercing than other practices so we're looking at educating young residents about the effects and problems of having a body part pierced."

Updated: 14:25 Monday, February 09, 2004