AN ASTLEY school faces a bill of £1,200 after vandals hurled rocks at its windows.

The louts smashed 12 panes of glass at St Mary's RC High School on Manchester Road at 11.30pm on Monday, using boulders from the ornamental garden to pelt the building.

Robert Dandy, site manager, said: "This has been going on for years and all schools are suffering.

"We think it was people coming home from the pub who smashed the windows, rather than youngsters, because the rocks were very big."

Firefighters at Leigh went to the scene originally because the fire alarm had been set off.

They then discovered the vandalism.

A number of shop windows have been smashed on Railway Road, Leigh, in recent weeks.

The post office has been one of the latest victims.

Chief Insp Alex Woolley, of Leigh Police, said he was aware of the incidents.

He added: "Like all town centres, Leigh suffers from vandals who for no apparent reason smash windows on their way home.

"We are looking at ways to deal with this problem."