Nursery hit by yob gang

Nearly 50 youngsters were sent home from a Dudley nursery today after yobs used concrete to smash 16 windows.

The nursery at Hawbush Primary School in Brierley Hill will be closed until Thursday following the attack over the weekend. Staff were today emptying toy boxes and cleaning all equipment to make sure no shards of glass were left.

Headteacher Alison Powell said the school, in Hawbush Road, was spending £60,000 on a security fence this summer following repeated vandal attacks and lead thefts.

She said “big concrete boulders” had been used to smash the windows, although no attempt was made to get inside the nursery or to take anything.

“It is just totally demoralising,” she said.  “The nursery staff have been in tears this morning.

“Everything has been wrecked and there is a strong chance now the children won’t be able to come in for the last week before the summer holidays.

“We are hoping to re-open on Thursday but that will depend on how things go.

“It is a very big clean-up operation because absolutely everything has to be checked, toy boxes tipped upside down, and everything cleaned to make sure there is no glass left for obvious reasons.”

Mrs Powell said the school was the target of vandals nearly every weekend and had spent thousands of pounds on repairs.

After the school was targeted by lead thieves the roof is now plastic – and a £60,000 security fence will go up around the site in time for its re-opening in September.

“It will make the place look like a security compound and it’s a lot of money that could have been spent on educating the children,” Mrs Powell said.

“So it’s very sad.  But unfortunately it seems to be the way of the world.”

Anyone with any information on the attack is urged to call Brierley Hill police on 0845 113 5000.