School roof lead theft causes '£20,000 of damage'

Thieves targeted Dubmire Primary Academy causing an estimated £20,000 worth of damage

Teachers at a primary school have spoken of their shock after most of the lead from their roof was stolen.

Headteacher Emma Jarvis said thieves targeted Dubmire Primary Academy in Fence Houses near Houghton-le-Spring, at the weekend, causing an estimated £20,000 worth of damage.

She said after the raid the roof had begun to leak damaging books and equipment.

However, despite staff being very "upset" the school, with 460 pupils, will remain open, Miss Jarvis confirmed.

She also said damage to the school was "significant" and had affected the structure of the building.

"We’ve got to carry out assessments to find out the extent of the damage," she said.

Headteacher Emma Jarvis said the damage to the school was "significant"

A statement from the school said it was working with its insurance company to assess the damage.

"We have had leaks in one of the corridors but the fantastic site team has cleared up the mess and patched up the roof for now," it added.

"We have only had small leaks in other areas."

Northumbria Police said it believed the thieves targeted the school some time between midnight on Sunday and 07:00 BST on Monday.