Vandals set fire to playground benches
Pupils and staff at Burgh Primary School were left upset after vandals smashed up and set fire to brand new playground benches and picnic tables.
Charred pieces of timber were strewn across the Rutherglen school’s playground last Wednesday morning when children made their way into class.
Ten benches, five picnic tables and chairs and eight wooden planters had only just been delivered and were still to be situated in the school grounds.
Headteacher Vicky McCool called the incident a“setback”.
She said:“Staff were disappointed to arrive at school on Wednesday morning to discover that our newly purchased outdoor furniture had been wilfully set alight.
“As part of our outdoor learning work we have been consulting with pupils, who are very keen to have benches and tables in their playground which would allow them to relax at break times, as well as providing seating for taking learning beyond the classroom, so to see this damage was a setback.
“We have, however, been heartened by the response from the local community.
“We would like to thank our parents and carers who have given their time and resources to assist.
“We would urge anyone with information on who may have been involved to contact the police.”
Susanne McCabe has three children at the school and was saddened by what she saw.
She said:“There was a break-in and someone set fire to the benches and damaged the plastic planters as well.
“We thought this was so needless and everybody was absolutely gutted.
“I feel bad for the kids and sad for the school to have to deal with this hassle.”
Susanne took to social media in the hope of securing replacements and the school now reckon the charred remains can be salvageable.
She explained:“I wanted to see if there was anyone out there who could help, whether someone who worked for a timber company or who could build the benches. We’ve had a good response and I’ll pass them on to the headteacher.”
Rutherglen police inspector Bob Bryce said officers were reviewing CCTV and asked ayone with information to call them on 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555111.