TRAVELLERS have pitched up on school playing fields in Abergele.
It is understood travellers "damaged" the gate in order to gain access to Dinorben Playing Fields which are associated with Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan.
The school have informed parents and guardians they are adopting extra measures to "further enhance security."
In a letter to parents and guardians, shown to the Pioneer and Journal, headteacher Matthew Wildsmith said: "Earlier on Monday 12, I was made aware that part of our school site, the Dinorben playing fields, had been illegally accessed by a small but significant number of people and their camping and caravanning equipment. They had criminally damaged the locked gate to gain access.
"Unfortunately, due to various legal processes, it is very difficult at this stage for the police to evict these people and their equipment from our land. Please rest assured that processes are in place to ensure they are dealt with as swiftly as possible.
"It is a great shame that our lovely school has been disrupted by this ignorant, illegal behaviour. It has the potential to take many of the school staff away from helping the children over the next few days, particularly at this most stressful of times whilst the external public examinations are taking place. I am sure that many parents and carers will be worried about the impact that this situation could have on their children. We will however, do all we can to ensure that the students are not disadvantaged by the behaviour of these people and I am very confident that we will succeed with this.
"I am keen to run the school with a 'business as usual' approached," Mr Wildsmith said.
"There will be a few tweaks to what we do. This will include adopting extra measures to further enhance our security, erring on the side of caution due to potentially unpredictable solutions that may arise. Hopefully this will assure you we are taking this matter very seriously."
Measures include:
- The front of the school, including the field and Astro pitch, being unavailable for students during the day
- PE lessons scheduled for these areas will be relocated
- After arriving in school, pupils are asked to make their way indoors as soon as possible
- There are fast-moving vehicles reportedly driving down Faenol Avenue - students are asked to walk on pavements and use allocated crossings
- Sixth Form students should keep their movements off site to a minimum and walk in groups
- No students should approach the Dinorben Field or anyone camping illegally on there
Measures will be relaxed when the "risks to the children in school are reduced."
North Wales Police said received a call about the situation on Monday evening.
A spokesperson for the force said: "We are aware. No damage was caused to a gate."
A spokesperson from Conwy County Borough Council said: "We are aware of an unauthorised encampment at Dinorben Playing Field.
"We have a duty of care for the welfare of all communities and are working with the school taking steps to resolve the situation bearing in mind the relevant legislation, statutory and non-statutory guidance."
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