CHILDREN in Darlington are being asked to keep an eye on their schools over the summer holidays to help to prevent vandalism and theft.

In the coming weeks representatives from the council and the police will go into every school in the borough to talk to pupils about looking after school property.

Every child will also be given a leaflet to take home telling them that property in their school is being marked with high-tech SmartWater.

SmartWater is a clear, forensic solution that can be applied to valuable property such as computers.

Only a small amount is needed to protect the equipment and once applied it is almost impossible to remove.

Each bottle of SmartWater carries its own unique DNA type code that can be detected by the police and used to identify where the property came from.

Every school in the borough is being given SmartWater to use over the next two years, funded by Darlington Council.

Before the summer holidays, a poster showing that property is marked with SmartWater will also be put up outside every school.

The poster will also advertise the school watch scheme which encourages pupils, staff and residents to be actively involved in looking after their schools.

The posters give details of who to call if people see anyone damaging property or acting suspiciously around school buildings.

The latest year-on-year figures reveal that insurance claims from Darlington schools in relation to theft and vandalism have increased by more than 50 per cent.

Money spent on replacing stolen equipment and repairing vandalised property could be used on books, equipment and other valuable resources to provide a better education for children.

It is hoped SmartWater and the school watch scheme will cut the number of cases of vandalism and theft this year.