A SOUTHAMPTON school has denied allegations made by a man carrying out a community punishment order that he saw children taking drugs on the premises.

Roger Dorrington, who was convicted in May this year of assaulting a man who had been supplying his sons with heroin, made the claim after escaping a jail term for breaching the order, as reported in later editions of yesterday's Daily Echo.

The case against the father-of-two sparked outrage after a judge initially ordered self-employed builder Dorrington to pay compensation to the dealer for the assault - a move that was later retracted.

However, Dorrington, 48, from Blissford near Fordingbridge, was ordered to serve a 100-hour community punishment order.

The order was originally carried out at the New Forest Owl Sanctuary but after it was switched to the St George's Catholic Boys School in Swaythling, Dorrington started missing sessions - conduct that could have seen him jailed.

But at Southampton Crown Court Judge David Griffiths agreed to give him one final chance to complete the order.

Outside the court Dorrington told the Daily Echo why he had broken the order.

He said: "This matter has still not been resolved. I don't think I should be doing community service in a place I think is unsafe.

"I have seen drug dealing near the school and youngsters then taking the drugs in the school grounds, and it is out of

order me being forced to do my sentence there."

But head teacher Helen Knight said that Mr Dorrington would only have been

carrying out his order on a Sunday - when the school is not open.

She stressed that the school is strongly against any form of drug misuse and, had it happened during a school day, further action involving the police would certainly have been taken.

Mrs Knight added: "However, our site is easy to get into because there is access from the woods and it is something we are looking at."

A spokesman for the police confirmed the school's stance, saying: "St George's is a very well run school with few problems."