“MINDLESS” vandals targeted a school in Boscombe in the early hours of last weekend.

St Clement's and St John's CE Infant School was broken into between 1.15am and 2.30am on Saturday morning by a group of around nine youths who were captured on CCTV.

Joe Nolan, the school’s site manager, discovered PE equipment had been strewn across the playground and the shed had been damaged when he arrived at the school grounds on Monday morning.

Balls, bibs, skipping ropes and other items had been scattered across the playground and a panel from the shed had been ripped off and the lock broken.

Mr Nolan said: “They don’t appear to have taken anything, it was just mindless.”

He added: “They knew what they were doing. They were probably the ones who broken in the summer before.”

“It was like they had planned it. Outside the front of the school there’s a lane and they all came over the wall and went straight over the gate.

“Part of me was a bit shocked, feeling like someone would still be there.

“It’s more of a nuisance than an annoyance.

“A lot of the children out of the kindness of their hearts helped pick bits up and there were a few questions,” he said.

Last October, three of the school’s scooters were stolen and during the summer of 2017, there were four separate incidents of damage including a classroom for special needs pupils being vandalised.

Over the summer, the school upgraded its CCTV system and installed new lighting.

New, taller fencing will be put in place in November in a bid to protect it from vandals.

Mr Nolan said: “The sad thing is, I presume some of them may be ex-pupils.”

Dorset Police said officers are making enquiries into the incident.