PRIMARY school pupils fear they won’t be able to play games or hold sports days on their playing field again after wild boar broke in and dug it all up.

Up to 12 of the animals have been seen outside Parkend Primary at one time, and the school’s outdoor facilities are under siege from the animals.

The playing field is now a muddy morass of rutted ground, and the school has also had to stop using its garden area for fear that the boar might appear while children are being taught.

There is no cash to make good the problem, and children and staff are appealing for community help to make the boundary boar proof and repair the field, so they can use the facility again for learning and exercise.

Deputy headteacher Jill Roberts said: “It’s so disappointing. We had this lovely green space and now our 60 children are denied the use of it. The boar have completely dug it up.

“The whole of the field will need reseeding and levelling, and we don’t have the budget to re-fence the boundary to keep the boar out, so they will just keep getting in.

“They came in for the first time in the summer holidays and caused a little bit of damage, but this term it’s gone from a nice green open space to completely destroyed.

“It’s very disappointing, and the children are really upset. They can’t play on it any more, as it’s too uneven to run on, and it means we can’t hold any football tournaments, play cricket or sports days.

“At first, we thought they were jumping over the fence where it had sagged a bit, and we tried to block that, but they just keep getting in.

“We see them regularly, even in the car park when parents turn up to drop their children off, and last week about 12 of them trotted past, while another caused a road accident outside. They’re not bothered about people at all, and show no fear

“We love all the wildlife here, as we’re in the heart of the Forest, but there are so many boar, they are making life very difficult at the moment.”

She added: “There are definitely a lot more boar around than in the past, and I’d say there are too many now.

“They are damaging our property and putting the children’s safety at risk, so we’ve had to stop using the playing field.”

The school have tried contacting the Forestry Commission who own the surrounding woodlands, but to date they have been unable to get a response.

Now the school is hoping that the local community can help them out by joining a working party to fix the problem.

“If anyone can help who has a tractor with a roller, or fencing skills, we’d love to hear from them,” said Jill.

You can contact the school on 01594 562407 or by emailing [email protected]