MANY people will be concerned to read about the significant damage caused to two school buildings in separate attacks, both of which are reported in today’s Telegraph & Argus.

In their own different ways, the mindless incidents - one at an existing primary school and the other at a long-derelict secondary school - are a drain on increasingly-scarce resources.

So far as Keighley St Andrew’s CE Primary School is concerned, the wanton vandalism at its premises comes at a time when education budgets are being squeezed. Now, more than ever, schools need to be able to spend their money on helping children, rather than repairing damage.

In the case of the former Yorkshire Martyrs School, the drain on resources is arguably felt most acutely by the fire service, which has been called to a string of incidents at the disused site, including three blazes this year alone.

It now seems evident that the site is putting an unnecessary burden on firefighters, not only costing the taxpayer money whenever an emergency response is needed, but also posing a health and safety risk.

Clearly, the crumbling shell of the former school has become a blight on the area and a magnet for arsonists, creating a situation that cannot be allowed to continue.

And for the sake of fed-up residents, urgent action is now needed to redevelop or better secure the premises.

In both cases, we would urge anyone who knows the people responsible for the incidents to pass that information to police to prevent any repeat.