THE head teacher of an East Cowes primary school has asked the community to help catch the vandals who caused £30,000 of damage by setting fire to the school's swimming pool building.

Teenage tearaways are thought to have started the blaze by setting light to two rubbish bins laid against East Cowes Primary School pool on Saturday night.

It is the fourth and most serious arson attack on the school in recent years.

Head teacher Mrs Jenny Thomas said she was determined the vandals should not prevail, and has arranged a community meeting to explore ways of tackling the problem.

Mrs Thomas, a teacher for 35 years and head of East Cowes Primary for the past 13, said: "We can't let the vandals win. It would be a huge disappointment for me and the whole school if we threw in the towel.

"I would appeal to parents to talk to their children about where they were on Saturday night and appeal to anyone who knows anything about what happened to come forward and ensure that whoever did this is caught.

"We receive tremendous co-operation from the local police but they have not got the manpower."

Mrs Thomas said it was not clear where the money for a replacement pool would come from, nor when the pool would be back in use.

She added that it had become necessary to upgrade the closed-circuit TV camera system at the school, which would cost more than £20,000 - the equivalent of a teaching post.

"It is so upsetting that this has been done because such a great effort has gone into creating the pool and making it a facility that many people in East Cowes use."

Muriel Miller, Isle of Wight Council member for East Cowes, said she had been asked to organise a meeting with police and community leaders to find a solution to the problems of vandalism. It is important that the whole community comes together to try to do something about this vandalism.

"East Cowes is fed up at seeing all the good work that goes on in the town undermined by this mindless vandalism," Cllr Miller said.

Police are hunting a slightly-built dark haired youth aged between 13 and 18 in connection with the fire.

Anyone with information should contact the police on 0845 045 4545.