Parents patrol closed private school after break-ins

Parents of pupils at a private school that closed suddenly have started patrolling the grounds at night following trespassing and an attempted break-in.

Leweston School, just outside Sherborne, shut on 27 October and notified parents via email that it would not reopen after the half term.

Since then, a group of mums and dads have been taking it in turns to carry out security patrol shifts around the 46-acre site.

Dorset Police advised members of the public "never to put themselves into any danger" and to call 999 if they needed to report a crime.

The group formed after reports that a group of youths, dressed in balaclavas, had entered the grounds of the closed school.

Bea Atkinson, who has two children that attended Leweston, said: "We are helping to make sure the school's safe from being looted and any sort of, you know, unwanted activity."

Police received a report of potential trespassing in the area at 13:15 on 29 October.

Officers attended and four young people were stopped and spoken to. Their details were taken but no offences were identified.

Doors were also damaged to outbuildings at the school on 31 October.

It was reported to police that the locks were broken, but it had not been confirmed if anything was taken.

Describing the parent patrols, Atkinson said: "It's all through the night, so we do three-hour shifts and we try to get working groups to keep everybody safe.

"And we have our rounds now, we have our routines, we have radios, break torches, all sorts of things.

"Monday to Monday, it's 24-7, but there are amazing people in there, until we know further what security can be brought in, at the moment it is down to the parents."