'Horrible' thieves leave classrooms unusable at Castleford primary school

"Horrible" thieves have caused weeks' worth of disruption at a Castleford primary school after stealing lead from its roof.
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A handful of classrooms and corridors have been out of action at Smawthorne Henry Moore Primary School since September because of damage from the incident.

Pick-up points for parents meeting their children at the end of the day have also had to be changed, while the scaffolding put up since has encroached onto the playground.

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The issue was raised at a public meeting on Monday, by the schools' head of governors and local ward councillor Richard Forster.

Smawthorne Henry Moore Primary School in Castleford.Smawthorne Henry Moore Primary School in Castleford.
Smawthorne Henry Moore Primary School in Castleford.

Speaking afterwards, Coun Forster said: "It was a massive lead theft - the thieves even went two nights in a row.

"The problem is the part of the roof they stole from isn't even visible from the road, so nobody knew about it until the school was open the next day and everyone went inside.

"It's been a mammoth job for the school.

"These horrible people that do this get minimal gain from it, but the disruption to children and the cost it incurs is massive."

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Wet weather has delayed repairs to the roof, but Coun Forster said that the school's leadership was "very happy" with staff from Engie who are leading with the work.

The council's property partner was praised at an audit committee meeting for having made significant progress with its performance in the Wakefield district.

Engie came under fire last year for falling short in a number of areas, but council bosses say the situation has now greatly improved.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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