Offenders clearing yob-hit school site

Convicted criminals have been drafted in to clear up a school field in the Black Country that was wrecked by yobs.

Pupils at Rowley Hall Primary School in Rowley Regis were left devastated last month after 45 slabs were smashed to pieces and broken beer bottles were strewn around the field. It caused £800 of damage and forced PE lessons to be cancelled as it was so dangerous.

However, after the story was spotted in the Express & Star by Sandwell Community Payback's unit manager, a group of six offenders have cleared the field and laid new paving slabs.

Martin Walton, who is the unit manager at Sandwell Community Payback, said: "I saw the story in the Express & Star and I got my projects officer to contact the school and they were overjoyed that we could go in and complete the work in very quick time.

"We gave the playing fields the once over, did the steps and also some work in the school grounds on the flower beds."

Mr Walton said the team, supervised by Pat Cooney, would have committed minor offences such as breach of the peace or affray.

He said: "They get an awful lot out of it, particularly when they can see people are benefiting from the work that we do particularly the school kids that are losing out."

Before the latest attack, which happened over the weekend of June 6 and 7, the school in Rowley Regis had been a target for vandals.

Lynda Townsend, headteacher at the Windsor Road school, said there had been ongoing problems with the uprights from the fencing being taken, despite CCTV being in place.

A week before the attack three slabs in the same flight of 15 stairs were also broken.

Mrs Townsend said: "The pupils are so pleased that our steps have been mended.

"They can now get safely on to the school field to do sports and games and go on at dinner time, which they couldn't when all the damage happened.

"We are really grateful to community payback for the work they have carried out to repair the steps," added Mrs Townsend.