FIRE chiefs believe a fire at a Galashiels school over the weekend was started deliberately.

The flames were brought under control before any serious damage occurred at Balmoral Primary.

But an appeal has been made to snare the culprits.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire Service said: "Luckily the fire was extinguished before any serious damage occurred but the outcome could have been much worse.

"Deliberate fire raising is antisocial behaviour, and has an impact on our community."

Saturday evening's fireraising is just the latest incident in the town over the past few months.

Crews have been called out to the Policies - just a couple of minutes' walk away from the school.

The spokesman added: "We have been dealing with a number of incidents of antisocial behaviour in and around Gala Policies over the last few months."

Balmoral opened as normal on Monday morning but education chiefs are appealing for anyone with information to contact the police.

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: “Thanks to the prompt action by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the fire at Balmoral was extinguished before any damage could be done.

"We would however urge anyone with information about the incident to contact Police Scotland as a matter of priority so those responsible can be held to account for their actions.”

Anyone with information regarding the weekend incident or the other fires at Gala Policies can contact Police Scotland on 101.