The gang of arsonists currently being hunted after a series of attacks on schools in the Shipley/Windhall area should not be regarded simply as wayward children up to a spot of mischief. They and others like them who deliberately started 32 school fires in the Bradford district last year and 55 the year before are serious criminals who are costing council taxpayers a fortune.

The insurance premium alone has gone up by 20 per cent to £1.21 million. On top of that, and to prevent the premium soaring even higher, the Council has had to set aside £500,000 for a fire-safety programme in the district's 200 schools. That is money which is desperately needed elsewhere, not least to help with the education of Bradford's youngsters.

Apart from the cost, every arson attack causes disruption to the school work of pupils at the affected premises. In the latest incident at Wrose First School, much of the work of Years Five and Six went up in flames. This sort of thing is further undermining all the effort which is going into improving the performance of Bradford's schools system.

It is vital that those responsible are caught and dealt with severely if the present "sport" of torching schools is to be brought under control.

Meanwhile, it might be worth individual schools looking into the possibility of 24-hour security patrols around their premises and seeing how the cost of them compares with the savings that such a move might make for them on their individual insurance premium.