FEARS of violent disorder outside a secondary school led to children being collected early and a police presence being put in place.

A sequence of alarming posts on social media, against the backdrop of incidents involving masked and armed thugs in Wibsey, led to unusual measures being put in place at Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College, in Reevy Road West.

The school cancelled all after-school activities on Friday, told parents they could pick up their children early if they wished, and advised children to stick to main roads when walking home, avoiding Wibsey Park and secluded areas.

There were anxious scenes as parents queued outside the school to collect their children early, with some waiting for over an hour.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Police attended Buttershaw Business Enterprise College earlier today (Friday) following concerns raised by the school about social media activity which suggested violent disorder would occur outside the premises at the end of the school day.

"Officers spoke with the school and an increased police presence was put in place to assist pupils with leaving the premises safely."

Earlier, Andrew Taylor, head at Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College, sent a message out to parents.

The message said: "As you will be aware, there are some alarming social media posts circulating which are causing understandable alarm in the community.

"We are building our intelligence of the situation, and we are working with the police to ensure everyone's safety in school.

"To mitigate against any risk, we will have the following procedures today, in addition to our usual safeguarding protocols.

"You may collect your child if you are concerned, which will be authorised absence

"Additional police presence is expected towards the end of the day."

Mr Taylor's message said that all after-school activities were cancelled, including detentions.

The social media posts, which appear to boast about recent incidents in Wibsey, came after masked robbers armed with weapons struck multiple times in a spate of 'linked' incidents.

Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing officers are conducting reassurance patrols as Bradford District CID continues to conduct a number of active enquiries.

A male has now been arrested in connection with four robbery offences which took place between Monday and Thursday this week.

One of the offences took place in the evening of Tuesday, March 5, at a convenience store on Brownroyd Hill Road when a group of males entered and threatened staff inside. A number of items were stolen from within the shop.

The other offences took place in the evenings of Monday, March 4, Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 7 in the Wibsey Park area.

A police spokesperson said: "In all of the offences, male victims were approached and threatened by masked suspects with weapons who then stole property. No-one was injured in the offences."

Sergeant Paul Wharton, of the Bradford South NPT, said: “We realise these offences are causing concern to residents in the Wibsey area and I can promise them a full investigation is ongoing into what took place by our colleagues at Bradford CID.

“They are being treated as linked and a male has been arrested in connection with these matters.

“Anyone who can help identify the suspects or has footage of them from the times and areas the offences took place in is asked to contact Bradford CID on 101 or online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat referencing police crime number 13240123627."

When the T&A visited the Wibsey area, the level of public concern was clear to see.

Emily Donohue said: “It’s shocking, it’s awful what’s going on.”

Linda O’Sullivan said: “I’ve picked up my daughter. There’s police in the school now. It’s really bad. We’ve lived here all our lives and crime’s getting worse.”

One woman said: "I was queuing for my daughter for an hour-and-a-half this morning.

"It’s scary, that’s why I came for her. She suffers from anxiety - something like this doesn’t help at all. I’ve seen the videos that are circulating - where are those kids’ parents?”

Veronica Craig told the T&A: “My stomach was sick - I couldn’t get here quick enough. I was waiting two hours to pick up my daughter and her friend. I’m extremely concerned about the situation."

Later, Bradford Diocesan Academias Trust said: "The safety, security and wellbeing of our students is our top priority. After the school was made aware of some concerns within the local community about recent incidents in the area, the school contacted parents to share a number of precautionary measures which have been put into place to ensure students feel safe travelling to and from school.

"However, it should be stressed these precautionary measures were not a response to a specific concern and there have been no threats made directly to the school or its students. Rather, these measures were taken out of an abundance of caution.

"We apologise if the offer to allow children to be collected early contributed to any unnecessary concerns amongst families as this was not the intention. Along with the school and the police, we will continue to work hard to ensure our students, families and staff feel safe in the local community."