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Staff start clearing up
after the vandalism

Vandals have caused thousands of
pounds of damage to a city school nursery after flooding the
building.

Staff at the Acorns Day Nursery at
St Stephen’s School arrived at work on Wednesday
morning to find the pre-fab building three inches deep in
water and equipment and books ruined.

They have been forced to close the
nursery while the mop up and refurbishment, including the fitting
of new carpets, are completed.

The damage was caused after an
outside tap was ripped off the wall, causing mains water to pour
into the building.

Nursery manager Thalia Annis said:
"I could have cried when I saw it. It is devastating for us and
will cost thousands of pounds to put right."

On Tuesday, the school site manager
discovered another outside tap had been taken from the main school
building but did not know the nursery had also been targeted.

Mrs Annis said: "It could have
happened any time since the nursery closed last Friday. The water
has been pumping out ever since which would explain why there is so
much damage.

"I don’t know if they meant to
cause it, but either way the result has been disastrous for
us."

She added that two computers would
need to be replaced and many books, including records of the
children’s progress, were ruined.

Staff have been mopping up and
salvaging what they can and contractors have been assessing the
damage.

Mrs Annis said: "We were expecting
around 15 children today so a lot of families have been
inconvenienced.

"We will also suffer financial loss while the nursery is closed
because we usually cater for up to 30 children, but we are hoping
to fix it so we can reopen next week."