Youths seen entering abandoned school that's been hit by frequent fires

Locals say they are sick of repeated fires, smashed windows and closed roads following the anti-social behaviour.  Finn Macdiarmid reports.

Transcript

00:00This school has been abandoned since 2022, but as you can see, young people still enter

00:11the derelict and potentially dangerous building. St John Fisher's school has been the location of

00:16repeated fires and antisocial behaviour ever since it's shut. Because of the repeated fires,

00:21Ordnance Street frequently sees fire crews and road closures, which can disturb local residents.

00:26My mother-in-law lives there, so she always sees people inside and the broken glasses,

00:32windows and firing, about four or five times fire so far, so that's no good.

00:39Polish car and everything on the middle of the road closed the traffic. So obviously,

00:45because of, I mean, not only me, all around here.

00:50Well, it's not mostly me really, it's other people living here,

00:54it comes down about six or half, six. If you see a police up there,

01:01cut the road off, then they'll have to turn around and come back another way.

01:05We were talking to locals outside the former school's gate when we heard young voices yelling

01:10and the sounds of objects being thrown or destroyed coming from inside the building.

01:14We also spotted the young people peeking out of high windows, running through corridors,

01:23pulling on parts of the building and we heard the sounds of spray paint cans.

01:27The young people noticed us and began shouting abuse that we can't repeat.

01:32Once we analysed the footage, we spotted one of the individuals on the roof was holding a hatchet in his hand.

01:38According to locals, this behaviour isn't rare and young people often gain access to the abandoned school.

01:44Kent Fire and Rescue Service say,

01:45We are actively working closely with schools, local authorities and emergency services across

01:50Kent and Medway to raise awareness of the dangers of entering derelict buildings.

01:54Remember, it is simply not safe to enter a derelict building and doing so may put yourself and others at risk.

02:00We also reached out to Utopia Homes who own the site, but they did not comment on the situation.

02:05Well, locals on Ordnance Street say they just want their row to stay safe and free from further fires,

02:11with some calling for the building to be removed, rebuilt and put to a better use rather than staying derelict.

02:16Finn McDermid for KMTV in Chatham.