Conwy: Illegal caravan campers pitch up on school's playing fields
A school has been forced to close off areas of its site after people illegally accessed its playing fields and pitched a number of caravans. The head teacher of Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan, in Abergele, Conwy said a "small but significant" number of people had caused criminal damage to enter the land, and legal processes have made it difficult for the police to evict them.In a letter to parents, Matt Wildsmith Pennaeth said several areas of the school would remain cornered off while it dealt with the situation, with pupils advised to stay indoors. Conwy council said it had a duty of care for the welfare of all communities and was working with the school to resolve the situation.
In the letter Mr Pennaeth said: "It is a great shame that our lovely school has been disrupted by this ignorant, illegal behaviour."He said the incident had the potential to take many school staff away from helping children over "the most stressful of times" as exams take place. Mr Pennarth added that he was aware the situation would be worrying for parents and carers, but would be doing all he could to ensure the students were not disadvantaged.He said he was keen to run the school with a business as usual approach, with extra measures to "further enhance security" put in place.
The letter stated:No student should approach the Dinorben field or anyone camping illegally on thereThe front of the school including the field and astro turf would be unavailable for students during the day. PE lessons scheduled in those areas would be relocatedStudents should make their way indoors as soon as possible when they have arrived at schoolSixth form students should keep their movements off site to a minimum and walk in groups.The head teacher also warned parents to remind pupils of the potential risks while travelling to and from school. He said "very fast-moving vehicles" driving down Faenol Avenue had been reported, so asked pupils to walk on pavements and use allocated crossings.Mr Pennaeth added that soon as they were confident that the risks to the children in the school were reduced back to the typical level, then the measures would be relaxed. He assured parents that processes were in place to ensure the group were dealt with "as swiftly as possible".
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