Trespassing youths warned of Telford school site danger
Youngsters were today warned to stay away from an abandoned school building in Telford that has become unsafe.
The old Charlton School, in Severn Drive, Wellington, has suffered from acts of vandalism.
West Mercia Police today said groups of young people have been seen at the site and were putting themselves in danger.
A spokesman for the police said: "Several youths have been reported on the site and officers are patrolling the area on a regular basis.
"A fire has also been reported in part of the building that has been entered by persons unknown.
"Several windows have been smashed and external doors broken open.
"Anyone seen on the site will be stopped and any criminal damage investigated.
"Damaged empty buildings are acting like a magnet to youths and curiosity is clouding their better judgement.
"The floors can become weak and damaged windows pose a threat to safety.
"Even if they are familiar with the building, trying to get out in a panic when stairs are no longer accessible due to rubble can put lives at risk."
The old Charlton School building is awaiting demolition ahead of redevelopment of the site.
The site opened as a girls' school in 1962 and the last lessons were held there on May 26.
Companies are being invited to bid for the right to knock down the old school, a project which is thought to be worth between £100,000 and £500,000.
The final group of pupils waved goodbye to the school in Severn Drive earlier this year, with classes starting in a £16 million replacement in Apley Avenue in June.
It was part of Telford & Wrekin Council's £200m Building Schools for the Future project which saw nine schools across the borough upgraded.
Shepherd Construction, known as Wates, designed and built six new schools and remodelled three under the programme created as part of efforts to transform secondary education.
Now the council is moving forward with plans to offload the old school, and hopes to have work under way by around mid October.
A sports hall at the former school is likely to be retained, however, as will another sports hall at the new site, which has been refurbished and integrated into the new school complex.
The new Charlton School sits on the site of the former Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic College in Apley Avenue, which in turn closed last year and is now based at the new Holy Trinity Academy in Priorslee, which welcomed its first students in September 2015.
