Hampshire fire chiefs are campaigning to get sprinklers installed in all schools after an "arson crime wave".

Last year, fires were deliberately started at 25 schools, causing an estimated £5m of damage.

Among them were Marchwood Primary School in Southampton and Thornden Secondary School in Chandler's Ford.

Hampshire's 17% increase in serious fires deliberately started in schools last year was in line with the national trend, according to the Arson Prevention Bureau, a body of insurers, police and fire services.

The bureau said schools were experiencing an "arson crime wave" and a Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the cost was not just financial.

"When schools are damaged, there is the irreplaceable loss of weeks of work, often essential coursework, with today's requirements for continual assessment," he said.

"There is also the disruption of education on at least a temporary basis and the loss of a community facility."

He said the culprits were often children - although not necessarily pupils at the targeted school.

The Hampshire fire service runs a very successful schools education unit, taking the safety message to children as part of the national curriculum.

"Despite this, a very small minority of youngsters is not getting, or is ignoring, the message about the dangers of fire and how easily fires can take hold."

The fire service campaign is backed by county councillor, Keith Chapman, a member of the police authority.

"There is no doubt that had sprinklers been installed at the schools where we have had fires recently, then the damage would have been a lot less," he said.

"Of course, they add to the cost of the building but only by about one to 1 to 1.5% of the total - and the cost of rebuilding just one school would pay for a lot of sprinklers."

Fire chiefs credit Mr Chapman with persuading the county council to install sprinklers in all new and refurbished schools.

But they want further action to install sprinklers in all schools.

Meanwhile, the fire service is advising school caretakers to douse rubbish bins with water every night.

Bins are a regular target for arsonists and the fire can spread to nearby school buildings.

A Hampshire County Council spokesman said the cost of installing sprinklers in all schools would be around £2m.