Teens have stolen 16 computers from an Ashford secondary school.

Wye Free School on Olantigh Road was targetted on Saturday, October 5 at about 4am, when three youths took the Apple Macs.

The culprits - aged between 14 and 19 - are described as a black male wearing a North Face puffa jacket, a black male wearing red gloves and a white male wearing a chequered shirt.

A message sent out by the school to parents following the incident suggested a fraudulent fundraiser had been set up to replace the equipment.

It read: "Sadly we had a burglary last weekend and had our new music IT equipment stolen. We have not mentioned this as the police are making inquiries.

"However, somebody has created a false fundraising campaign, pretending to be on behalf of Wye School and asking for donations to raise £20,000.

"This is an entirely false web page, which I have reported, and I am messaging to make sure everybody knows that and no one is defrauded."

A spokesperson for the school said: “There was an isolated break-in to one of our school buildings, in which thieves stole some IT equipment from our music department. We immediately alerted the police and have been working closely with them to support their ongoing investigation.

"Whilst this is obviously disappointing for our school community, staff have been working hard to minimise any disruption to our music programme and we are liaising with our insurance company to ensure everything is quickly back to normal.

“We are aware that a false fundraising page, related to this, was created by someone not representing the school. As soon as it was brought to our attention, parents were informed and urged not to contribute.

"The page has been reported to the relevant internet hosting company which is making enquiries.”

Kent Police has now issued an appeal, with a spokeswoman saying: "Inquiries remain ongoing. Any witnesses or anyone with information should call 01843 222289 quoting reference 46/193884/19.

"Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or using the anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org"

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