Vandals cause £18,000 worth of damage to two Midlothian primary schools

Vandals have caused £18,000 worth of damage to Hawthornden and St Mary's Primary Schools in Midlothian.

80 skylights and 42 double-glazed windows were smashed at Hawthornden Primary School alone on 7th of April.

Inspector John Dryden said: "This is an appalling attack on the primary school and the cost of the repair will ultimately come from Midlothian Council's budget - money that would be better used for vital services to the community.

“It would have taken a significant period of time for the vandals to smash 122 windows and the noise alone must have attracted attention.

“I am confident that the identity of those responsible is now known to members of the community and I would ask anyone with any information to contact us.

"I would also ask parents and guardians to assist in preventing further incidents by ensuring they know where their children are and what they are doing when out and about."

A Midlothian Council spokesperson added: "It is not just the financial cost to the council, but the emotional cost to our school community.

“Our property services staff have responded quickly to instigate a clean-up operation to ensure that none of the broken glass injures children or staff on their return after the Easter Break.

“However, until staff return we don't have the opportunity to assess the damage to resources within the school that may be contaminated with debris from the vandalism."