SECURITY fencing and gates are to be installed around Holyrood Community School in Chard in a bid to stop late-night vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Chard Town Council's planning and highways committee was last night (Tuesday) set to discuss the application to put up 2.4-metre high fencing around the school which centres on an upper site in Zembard Lane and lower site in Furnham Road.

While the fencing will go a long way to deterring vandals and youths onto the campus during out-of-school hours, it should also stop people from wandering around the site when youngsters are in class and using it as a shortcut.

Planning officer at Somerset County Council, Jonathon Fellingham, on behalf of the authority's children and young people department which has come up with the scheme, said: "The school buildings and land have been suffering numerous incidents of major vandalism and abuse over many years together with incidents of assault and threatening behaviour from youths who continuously breach the boundary fences and climb onto roofs of the buildings," he said.

"This causes a disturbance to neighbours late at night and sometimes during the day at holidays and weekends."

One of the most recent incidents saw a wheelie bin set on fire which resulted in a maintenance workshop and store being destroyed causing more than £50,000 of damage.

While during the day it is not unknown for a PE lesson such as a game of cricket to be interrupted by someone taking a shortcut through the school playing fields.

Mr Fellingham said: "The general public do take shortcuts through the school site during the day. This is of concern to the school as there are health and safety implications.

"The school recently carried out a survey which highlighted how concerned parents were about the security of their children during the school day.

"The police are constantly updated with the incidents at Holyrood and they have been involved with the proposal to put up security fencing."

Headteacher Maurice Hicks said that the fencing plan was a sad sign of the times' but was necessary.

"We have 1,300 pupils at Holyrood and we must ensure their safety during the day, while we also have to protect our facilities and equipment at night," he added.