SECURITY guards are to patrol a school's grounds after vandals carried out two attacks in less than a fortnight.

Alderman Leach Infant School, in Darlington, was the target for a vandal attack on Thursday night, just days after work started to repair earlier damage.

The vandals broke windows, dug up flower beds and scrawled offensive graffiti about headteacher Catherine Thompson on the outside walls.

Mrs Thompson was left in tears after seeing the latest damage, which was carried out days before the school receives a visit from inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

Head of the school's governors, Bryan Thistlethwaite, condemned the attacks and called on the community to help police catch the vandals.

He said: "We had just started working to clear up the mess from last time.

"That time trees had been uprooted and thrown through windows and the roof was damaged.

"Everyone at the school had worked really hard to prepare for Ofsted, and the school looked better than ever, but now we have all this mess to clear up before Monday.

"There were tarpaulins over the roof and they have jumped on them until they have collapsed.

"They have pulled blinds down from windows and even tried to set fire to carpets, but luckily it didn't work.

"Because of the graffiti you have to think that these people know the school and want to attack it."

He said: "Someone in the community must know who is doing this and I would urge them to come forward.

"The community has a responsibility towards the school. It is their children who are suffering because of this as well as the cost to them as taxpayers to repair the building."

The school has just been given a £2,000 bill for window repairs after an attack in January. The cost of recent work, on 87 broken windows, has still to be calculated.

A Darlington Borough Council spokesman said it had arranged for security guards to patrol the area in a bid to stop the vandals' relentless attacks.

He said: "This is a despicable act of mindless vandalism and we will do everything to protect the school and make sure the people responsible are brought to justice.