A petition calling for free tampons in UK schools hits 50,000

More than 50,000 people have now signed a petition calling on the government to make sanitary products free in schools.

It's after it was revealed that some girls are missing classes because they can't afford tampons or pads.

Campaign group Fourth Wave is asking people to add their signatures, saying many teenagers feel too embarrassed to get help.

Education Secretary Justine Greening has promised to look into the issue.

The Scottish Parliament says it will make free protection a requirement in schools in Scotland.

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One of those behind the petition, Hannah Morrisson, says, aged 12, she was forced to borrow sanitary products from school friends or use tissue.

"I would go to reception and tell them I was unable to attend the rest of my classes as I had started my period," she tells Newsbeat.

"They said that I could buy sanitary products in the bathrooms, but my maintenance allowance (EMA) was spent on ensuring I was able to eat."

She says "stories like mine are becoming more common".

It's claimed some young women are "missing a week off school every month"

She adds that some teachers are helping pay for students' sanitary products out of their own pockets.

"Tampons and pads are necessities, not luxuries, so just as toilet paper is provided in schools for free, so should sanitary items."

The petition has received hundreds of comments and has been shared across social media.

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