YOUNGSTERS from three Burnley schools have received police praise for giving vandals the "brush-off".

Pupils from Calder View and Westway special schools and Stoneyholme school were so fed up with damage being caused to their schools by mindless vandals that they decided to join forces with the police and paint a range of posters to try to deter offenders.

All the posters were submitted to Burnley police station and a competition was run to find the best.

The winners will be announced at Westway School, March Street, on Tuesday, March 20. the best of the budding artists, aged between four and 11, will receive book tokens.

Youth involvement officer Barry Robinson commented: "incidents of vandalism have been on the increase at these particular schools over recent months.

"Youths have been smashing windows, climbing on to roofs and causing general damage which has not only proved costly but upset the pupils as well."

He added: "The idea behind the competition was to let the vandals know the human cost of their actions and to give the youngsters a chance to fight back with help from the police.

"The message from the schools and police to the community is: ' These are your schools - lets work together to look after them.'".

The winning designs will be copied and posted up around the schools and in local shops and community buildings.

Community beat officer PC Nic Fisher, said extra patrols had also be introduced to ward off would-be vandals who would face prosecution if caught.

PC Fisher added: "Mindless vandalism will not be tolerated and where we have sufficient evidence we will seek to prosecute.

"I would urge anyone thinking about damaging local schools and other property to think twice, not just about the likely consequences or the cost to the owner but the cost to young people like these pupils."