PUPILS at schools across a north Durham community have been upset by vandals who left a trail of damage during the half-term holidays.

Police are appealing for information after three schools in Stanley were targeted.

An alarm box was smashed off a wall at Burnside Primary School in Mendip Terrace on Saturday May 29, and extensive damage to a roof and classroom ceiling at St Mary’s Junior and Infant School, at South Moor, was reported on Friday June 3.

Damage was also caused to a classroom at East Stanley School in Chester Road, over the weekend, with a computer and monitor stolen.

Burnside Primary School headteacher Lisa Armstrong said: "They got on the roof and ripped a pipe off and broke the alarm.

"It is a real shame. We have had quite a long spell without any problems.

"The pupils have been trying to improve the environment. We had a litter pick recently and children are constantly trying to make their school better.

"I hope that if anyone knows who the culprits are or anything about what happened will come forward and let the police know."

Joanne Williams, headteacher at East Stanley School, said: "We were most disappointed to return after the half-term holidays to find one of our classroom computers had been stolen.

"This has seriously disrupted the education of the children in this class as it's the main teaching computer linked to our interactive whiteboard.

"All the lessons which the teacher had prepared to use involving ICT had to be abandoned with a return to less exciting ways of teaching.

"As people can imagine this has also upset and distressed the pupils."

Sergeant Denise Riley said: "I would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the vicinity of these schools or has any information about these incidents to contact police. "The schools involved have experienced disruption as a result of what has happened and will face the cost of repairs and replacement of the stolen equipment."

Police at Stanley can be contacted on 0345-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.

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