Vandals have caused more than $7,000 damage to a Paget primary school after going on repeated rampages during the summer holiday.

Now Gilbert Institute students will have to eat their lunch indoors when the new school term starts next Wednesday after lunch garden benches were ripped up in one raid.

Principal Eunice Jones said: "Kids like to be outside, but vandals destroyed ten of their lunch benches."

Mrs. Jones said the vandals first struck some time before July 19. When she visited the school that day benches for about 40 children - nearly half the school's population - had been damaged.

Then, on August 9, Mrs. Jones discovered two large drawings spray painted on to newly-laid tarmac at the school's entrance.

The vandals destroyed more benches on the weekend of August 14, but the school never reported it to Police.

Finally, last week there was an attempted break-in at the school office. Mrs. Jones said she arrived at school one day and when she turned her key in the door and it nearly fell on top of her.

"It was lucky that another teacher was there at the time. The deadbolt was the only thing holding the door up," she said.

Out of the 16 benches that were at Gilbert at the start of the summer vacation, only six remain.

"The tops have been smashed. They come on to the property to hang out. They were having a party with booze or whatever and must have thought it would be fun to break up some benches. Stuff was hanging off the trees," Mrs. Jones said.

"I feel they were doing drugs and alcohol out there, but there is no evidence. We have found beer bottles and cans on the premises in the past and none of our children drink - they are only babies between five to ten years old.

"The teachers and parents are extremely upset because this physical plant is for the use of our children. I feel upset and frustrated, that someone would target a primary school."

Mrs. Jones made a plea for whoever was doing the damage to stop. "Schools ought to be safe, nurturing environments for children. Something like this says to the children, 'this school is not safe'," she said. And she described an encounter with a group of trespassers late one night.

"I saw a group of guys drive up to the school. They said 'good evening' to me and I saw them carrying drinks and a boom box. I asked them where they thought they were going but they said they were 'going up the hill to hang out'. I said 'no, you are not, this is not a place to hang out'. They went away then but this was a while back," she said. She admitted she had no idea who the vandals are.

"It is a slap in the face when people destroy Government property that belongs to the people of Bermuda," she said.

Gilbert is an out of the way school, which is why it was picked for destruction by the vandals, she said.

"As a result of the vandalism, a security system will be put in place. It would be a travesty if Gilbert became a gated community," Mrs. Jones said.

Gilbert Institute is also used by Warwick Community School, gymnastics, church functions, ballroom dancing, public meetings and football groups, so neighbours are used to seeing people drive into the school, who are not teachers or parents, she said.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said: "School vandalism is a perennial problem.

Police are conducting enquiries into the incident however, and we are appealing to the public to assist Police in apprehending or finding out who is responsible for such acts and are asking anyone with information to contact Police at 295-0011."

Despite the damage, Gilbert Institute will open as scheduled next Wednesday, September 6.