A SCHOOL has won a long-running fight to put up a security fence after a spate of attacks on children and staff.

Dozens of residents living near Brierton Community School, in Hartlepool, had tried to block plans by headteacher Craig Weaver to install a 7ft barrier around the fields.

A petition containing more than 80 signatures was handed to council bosses and householders lobbied planning officials when they met to discuss the proposal yesterday.

They argued the fence would make the school look like "an open prison or remand home" and called instead for security measures such as cameras to be used to make the area safe.

But councillors gave the school the go-ahead on the condition that a "badly-damaged and dangerous" existing fence, which Mr Weaver wanted to keep, was pulled down first.

Mr Weaver told members of Hartlepool Borough Council's planning committee of a catalogue of incidents at the 1,200-pupil school which he hoped could be prevented with new security measures.

Yobs went on a £3,000 wrecking spree during the summer holidays and smashed windows and drainpipes, while a bull terrier ran amok in classrooms and corridors after being let loose by an intruder.

Youths have used the grounds to gather to drink alcohol and take drugs, leaving behind needles and smashed bottles, and lessons have been disrupted by trespassers.

Mr Weaver said staff and students have also been attacked, and a 15-year-old boy needed hospital treatment after a "vicious" beating by three youths in December.

He told councillors: "My primary concern is for the safety and security of the staff and children at the school. The site is currently insecure and we are experiencing a number of incidents of abuse and physical assault."

Mr Weaver withdrew an earlier application for a fence when he heard about residents' objections, and has spent months consulting them over a new design.

Householders who objected, including Shirley Ellis, who has lived in nearby Catcote Road for 38 years, described it as "an ugly eyesore".

Councillor Robbie Payne said: "I have sympathy with the residents but ultimately we are here to make sure schools are secure and the children are in as safe an environment as possible."