Schools Faced with £1m Vandalism Bill

Vandals caused more than £1 million worth of damage to schools last year, new figures have revealed. Dundee was the worst hit, with the city council spending £173,744 to repair damage in 2013/14, followed by Fife (£154,981) and Aberdeen (£150,770). The Scottish Conservatives, which obtained the figures, warned that the true figure is likely to be "significantly higher'' as seven of Scotland's 32 local authorities did not respond. Western Isles Council was the only one to suffer no school vandalism at all over the year while Shetland was the second lowest, spending £227.66. Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said: "Every penny spent on sorting out damage to school buildings is money that could be focused on children's education. "It's alarming that such a considerable sum is being spent addressing vandalism in Scotland's schools. "These irresponsible acts cause distress to communities and inconvenience to staff and pupils. "Much tougher action is required to punish the offenders and ensure they have to pay back the costs they impose on society. "Stronger action would also help deter others considering acts like this.'' The figures showed that Falkirk Council spent £92,000 repairing damage caused by vandals while Edinburgh spent £36,635. A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The overwhelming majority of pupils in Scotland's schools are generally well-behaved. "However, any vandalism inflicted on schools is totally unacceptable and we continue to work with schools, local authorities and through curriculum programmes to reduce instances of bad behaviour at school even further.''