VANDALS armed with a high-powered weapon caused havoc by smashing 26 windows at a York school.

Northfield School, in Acomb, was today facing a £4,000 repair bill after the hooligans struck.

Police believe an air rifle or catapult was used to cause the damage.

The windows were broken outside the range of the school's security cameras.

Toughened glass, designed to withstand vandal attacks, proved no match for the weapon they used.

Bill Ford, the head teacher at the Beckfield Lane school, which caters for children with special needs, has condemned Saturday's blitz on the building.

Mr Ford said there were no words to describe an attack which caused considerable disruption.

Mr Ford said: "I was alerted about the attack by our security on Saturday afternoon. It took from then until Monday just to make the school safe and sound.

"This was a really violent attack which has managed to break toughened glass. It takes a fairly high velocity impact to get through it.

"It has caused a considerable amount of disruption. Typically, the children have just got on with it.

"The most significant thing is that they don't understand why people do things like this and it raises that question in their minds.

"I have run out of words to describe actions like this and the people behind them. I just can't understand why anyone would want to do this. But attacks like this seem to be a sad fact of life.

"What concerns me most is that whoever is behind the attack has been able to do it outside the range of the security cameras, which didn't pick them up."

Sergeant Colin Ventress, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "This attack has caused a lot of damage to the school.

"It has also caused a great deal of distress and disruption. We are appealing to anyone who has any information about the attack, which took place either on Friday night or Saturday morning, to contact us on (01904) 631321 and ask for PC Alan Murray."

Updated: 14:59 Tuesday, December 11, 2001