A GROUP of youths have been caught breaking into the grounds of a local primary school multiple times.

The group have been caught climbing the walls on Northwood Primary School's to gain access into the site in the evening, during the school's hours of closure.

Once inside the grounds of the property the group have proceeded to climb on the roof of the building, set off the school's fire and intruder alarms and have caused minimal damage to the Early Years outdoor area and outdoor classrooms.

In response to the first trespassing, which occurred before the UK wide lockdown, the school's caretaker has sprayed black anti-vandal paint on the fences surrounding the premises, but that did not deter the group from returning on Friday night.

Office manager of Northwood Primary School, Charlotte Nelson, said "We really don't want our school premises to be used as a space for young people to congregate in the evening.

"These young people are putting themselves and others at risk by venturing into the school grounds out of hours.

"For example, as a eco-friendly school our roof is in fact a grass roof and is not made of brick, so it is certainly not safe to climb on top of.

"We aren't entirely sure why they are repeatedly targeting the school, but they seem to enjoy spending time in the outdoor area.

"We thought that our CCTV and anti-vandal paint would have been a deterrent, but apparently not.

"These individuals will likely have damaged their clothes due to the anti-vandal paint, so we would ask that people to keep a look out and contact the school office directly if they know any of these individuals.

"We would also ask parents and carers of older children to please talk to them about the dangers of entering school property.

The school have previously reported the incidents to local Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) who recognised the individuals and had spoken to them about the offence.

"The PCSOs know many of the local young people and have been able to identify members of the group in the past, who were reportedly teenagers," said Ms Nelson.