ARSONISTS have left young children distressed after destroying their outdoor toys.
Two arson attacks at Almondbury Infant and Nursery school follow a spate of other vandalism there.
Other problems have included syringes being dumped by drug users.
Things have not got so bad at the school on Longcroft that governors are thinking of building a steel fence round it to keep the yobs out.
But it would cost tens of thousands of pounds and the school cannot afford it.
The arsonists set fire to a shed at the school, along with a hut owned by Almondbury Playgroup.
They also torched some bins.
The playgroup hut contained large outdoor play toys while the school shed had sports equipment, construction toys, sand and water play trays, along with large toys.
The cost of the damage to the sheds is put at well over £5,000.
Headteacher Jane Sargent said: “I can’t understand the motive behind it, apart from to upset children as young as three and deprive them of their toys. It’s just so senseless.
“We have had escalating levels of vandalism. When we came back after the summer holidays both playgrounds and part of the school field were covered with shards of glass.
“The governors have been looking at putting a security fence up. Because we have such a huge perimeter it would cost tens of thousands of pounds, but the health and safety of our children must come first.
We have even found debris such as drug users’ syringes.’’
Anyone with information about the arsonists should ring Huddersfield police on 0845 6060606 or Crime-stoppers on 0800 555 111.
