A Bradford headteacher has vowed to turn his school into "Colditz" in an effort to stem a tide of vandalism.

Wibsey Middle School has been hit by vandals twice during the last two weekends.

The grant-maintained school, in Northfield Road, has already spent half its repairs and maintenance budget, despite being less than a third of the way through the financial year.

Vandals have wrecked classrooms, daubed paint over doors and stolen thousands of pounds of equipment including TVs, video recorders and computers.

Headteacher Gordon Hart said: "We don't want to turn our school into a Colditz, but if making it less attractive stops this happening then that's what we will do.

"We are already putting up more door grilles and upgrading the alarm system."

The school already has security cameras and, if money would allow, would consider hiring a private security firm in a bid to stop the vandals.

Mr Hart said: "All the time we are having to divert money towards preventing crime, putting right the damage caused. The police have mentioned hiring a security firm. But that would be more money diverted away.

"All this is very, very frustrating and annoying. We have a good reputation but are becoming a constant target. It's all very dispiriting."

Mr Hart said youngsters, some aged as young as 12, were hanging around the grounds and causing the damage. "Some of them are even ex-pupils," he said.

"They are breaking in and daubing paint all over and turning our offices upside down."

Extra police patrols are being used to protect about 60 schools in the Toller Lane police division from vandals during the holiday in a scheme which involves about 200 Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators.

A spokesman for Bradford Council's education directorate said: "We have had no reports of any incidents at this stage, but this is not unusual for this time of year. The situation will be reassessed when the schools return in September."

Sergeant John McGill, of Odsal Police, said an action plan was immediately put in place to deal with the problem.

"We have two aims. One is the hard-line approach in which we will deal with the people involved. But we will also be looking at ways of diverting the youngsters away from crime."

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