LANGLEE Primary pupils have been left “devastated” after the school’s woodland area was torched.

Last Thursday morning youngsters arrived to find a fence had been torn down and set on fire.

And the vandalism has meant they now can’t use the outdoor space.

A statement from the school read: “Some very responsible and safe pupils came into school early this [Thursday] morning to inform us that there had been a fire in the woodland area.

“We were devastated to discover that the fence had been broken and used to make a fire on the floor of the hut the previous night. This was still smouldering this morning and we are grateful to the pupils who helped ensure the safety of others by reporting this.

“This act of vandalism has meant our pupils are not able to access a very popular area of our school grounds and will take time and money to fix, if indeed it can be fixed. If you have any information regarding this, please get in touch with the police.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Police in the Scottish Borders have received a report of wood being set alight within the gazebo of Langlee Primary School in Galashiels, causing damage, sometime overnight between Wednesday, October 31 and Thursday, November 1.

"Anyone with information about this is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0770 of November 1."