Police are investigating after a fire was started at a school in Rhondda. In what has been labelled as "appalling vandalism" a structure at Bodringallt Primary School, Ystrad, has been badly damaged by fire and windows were also smashed. It is estimated the cost of the damage could be over £20,000.
In a statement, a South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "“Police in the Rhondda are investigating an incident of vandalism at Bodringallt Primary School, Pentre. It is understood that around 4.30pm on Thursday, January 5, access was gained to the school yard. A fire was started in a shed causing extensive damage to the shed and a heavy object was used to smash a window of the school.
“Officers are appealing for any information concerning this incident. If you have any information, please contact South Wales Police via 101 or via their website quoting 2300005090.”
Pictures from the scene show a shed severely damaged by flames and glass covering the carpets inside the school itself. A photo apparently from the time of the incident shows flames and a large amount of smoke.
Councillor for Pentre, Geraint Owen Jones, who is also a governor at the school, said: "Hopefully someone will come forward with information that will help catch the people that did this to our fantastic school. The staff, governors, local PCSO Cheryiln Pryor, parents and community volunteers work tirelessly to fundraise to provide these fantastic resources for school children which have now been completed destroyed.
"We’ve spoken to local residents, who are shocked at why someone would do this to our school. There is likely to be over £20k worth of damage to the community and school's garden and the school in general as they’ve had a load of windows and doors smashed. School budgets are tight and the school is going to find it difficult to pay for these repairs."
Posting on Twitter, MP for the Rhondda, Chris Bryant, said: "Appalling vandalism at Bodringallt Primary. Why on earth would anyone do this?"
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