POLICE are stepping up patrols around a Rishton school which has been repeatedly targeted by vandals in the last few months.
Gangs of youths have caused hundreds of pounds of damage at Norden High School and Sports College, Stourton Street, smashing windows and destroying roof tiles.
But police officers have warned they will not tolerate criminal damage and the perpetrators will be caught.
In one incident alone £850 damage was caused when youths climbed onto the roof of the school and threw tiles down onto the ground.
Sergeant Ian Corbett of Great Harwood Police said that the youths involved were believed to be local. He added: "There is adequate CCTV at the school and people are being caught on camera so we will identify the people responsible.
"This is obviously featuring high on our agenda at the moment and we will deal very firmly with anyone caught on the premises. Parents should warn their children to stay away if they have not got a legitimate reason to be there.
Sue Edwards, school business manager at Norden, said that staff are supporting the police in any way they can.
There are plans to put up a perimeter fence in a bid to keep the vandals out and there will be additional staff at the school in the evenings.
She added: "We are concerned about the impact of the vandalism on the school. One member of staff came in one Monday morning and couldn't get into a classroom because of broken glass behind the door.
"We should be spending time and money on improving the premises but instead we are repairing the damage which has been done the week before. It has an impact on staff and pupils and a major impact on maintenance staff.
"In one incident we had a dozen windows broken and they were repaired within a week. Then five or six of the same windows were broken again.
"We have passed a number of discs of CCTV footage to the police and I feel it is only a matter of time before the perpetrators are caught and brought to task."
