THIEVES have stolen steel intended to create an entrance for a village primary school.

Steel worth about £1,000 was taken from ACT Fabrications, on Meadowfield Industrial Estate, near Durham City, at about 9pm on Saturday.

Some of the heavy metal pieces were to form part of a porch for nearby Langley Moor Primary School.

Alan Tolley, owner of ACT Fabrications, said he believes crooks posing as scrap dealers are to blame.

He said: “These people are scum. What makes me angry is they’re stealing twice – they drive around telling people they’re looking for scrap and get government benefits and then at night they steal off honest, decent, hardworking people.”

CCTV footage shows three men in the area at the time, but does identify them clearly.

It is thought the men broke into a neighbouring compound to disable CCTV cameras. They are said to have covered one with a bag and smashed another.

The steel was taken from a fenced-off outdoor yard, where it was secured under a tarpaulin.

Mr Tolley said: “I came in on the Sunday morning. When I saw a bag over one of the cameras, I knew what had happened.

The gates had been bust open and all the tarpaulin was off.”

Work on the porch was due to begin at the school on Monday.

Although Mr Tolley has been left out of pocket, he says he will have to meet the deadline. The 36-year-old married father-oftwo, from Coxhoe, founded ACT Fabrications 14 months ago.

He said he has struggled to get funding to support the business and sometimes pays himself less than £100 a week.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call 0345-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers, on 0800-555-111.