Bamber Bridge special school The Coppice School left devastated after vandals cause nearly £17,000 in damages

The Coppice School on Ash Way, which caters for children aged 2-19 with special educational needs, has been experiencing “an unprecedented wave of antisocial behaviour and criminal damage” since September, which has most recently led to the closure of part of the school.

A school spokesperson said: “Youths are climbing on the school roof most nights and are kicking off stack pipes and gas flues. More recently, they have stripped us of external CCTV and turned their attention to the lanterns above our pool area. Lanterns have been repeatedly kicked, smashed and debris has fallen onto specialist pool blinds and then into the pool water and surrounding area.

"Unsurprisingly, this has forced a pool closure for the last couple of days whilst contractors repair our roof and remove the debris from the water. It is especially frustrating when our pool has only just reopened to pupils following extensive boiler replacements and electrical repairs.

“Our pupils need to access the pool for hydrotherapy purposes as it promotes active movement for our most vulnerable learners. We cannot imagine that anyone would want to deny these children their access to our pool-yet, this is happening night after night. Their actions are morally reprehensible.”

The school added that the replacement of the lanterns will cost approximately £7000, and in total the damage done to the school has approached the £17,000 mark which their budget “simply cannot sustain” any longer.

What did the police say?

Chorley and South Ribble Task Force Sergeant Sgt Harrison and PC Webster visited The Coppice School yesterday morning, following the spate of vandalism.

On Facebook this evening (December 1), Sgt Harrison said: “The visit completely opened our eyes to the impact that this is having on the school children.

“From a personal point of view, it was heartbreaking to see these children robbed of the use of the pool - this should not be happening. The headteacher, Mrs Seddon, is now planning to set up a crowdfunding page in support of the school to replace the CCTV cameras that were torn down.”

What are the police doing?

Sgt Harrison says the force have raised The Coppice School on their patrol plan for daily visits and patrols around the school, and they are also reviewing previous CCTV footage from the school and other sources to try to identify the perpetrators. They are hopeful that finger prints at the scene can identify them.

A Design Out Crime Officer had previously attended the school and produced a report with recommendations as to how to minimise any damage and make it harder for the perpetrators to commit these crimes, but such instances have continued.

Sgt Harrison added: “Upon speaking with Mrs Seddon she firmly believes that if these children knew what impact the vandalism was having on the children then it would go a long way to preventing any further damage. So if we identify these people then an education supervised day at the school may be an option. We will be visiting the local High schools with Mrs Seddon to discuss the issues in assembly where you will have chance to speak to local officer PCSO Rowland if you have any information.”

What do the police want from the public?

Sgt Harrison said: “If you live in the area and see or hear any trespassing on the premises then you need to ring us on 999.

“If you are a parent of one of these children then it may be apparent to you that they are involved. The school has anti-vandal paint on the roof so it would be virtually impossible for them not to get it on their hands or clothes.

“All the school wants is for the damage and vandalism to stop so that the money being spent on repairs can be better utilised on things that would be far more beneficial for the pupils at the school.

“Take this as a warning. We are looking for those people responsible and If the damages continue we will catch up and arrest those responsible.

“If you suspect your child is involved or you are one of the children responsible and you have a heart and a conscience you can email me ( Sgt Harrison ) on [email protected] and I will arrange a supervised day at the school as a way of dealing with the matter in line with Restorative Justice.

"Alternatively if you have any information you can also ring 101 and quote log reference lc-20221130-0224.

“Finally, those responsible risk falling from height into a shallow pool. It only takes someone to bang their head, become unconscious and drown.Remember, actions have consequences.”