TWO youths have been arrested after a break-in at a secondary school in which "extensive" criminal damage was caused.

The Star reported that Rainford High has been forced to close for today after the vandalism was inflicted during a burglary at the school on Saturday evening.

Police say a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy have been arrested following the break-in.
 
At around 9pm on Saturday, November 25, police received a report of the incident at the school on Higher Lane.
 
Officers searched the building and found that several classrooms, lockers and glass windows had been damaged. Fire extinguishers had also been pulled off the walls and used to damage toilets and equipment within the school.
 
CCTV footage from the school showed two youths inside the premises during the time of the offence.

The incident was branded as "shocking and appalling" by community leaders.
 
A 12- year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl from St Helens have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken into custody, a police spokeswoman said as an investigation continues. 

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Detective Inspector Jimmy Rotheram said: “Although two arrests have been made our officers are continuing to investigate this crime which has caused extensive damage to Rainford High School resulting in the premises not being able to open today.” 
 
“This was a reckless offence and I hope these arrests show how seriously we take such crimes in our community.
 
“We understand that videos of the incident were posted on social media over the weekend and I would urge anyone who saw the content and recognised anyone who could be responsible for this offence to contact police.
 
“I would also urge any parents and guardians of pupils at the school who know of this incident to speak to their children and let us know if they have any information that could help our investigation.”

If you have any information please contact @MerPolCC, 101 quoting reference: 23001189154. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: Give information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org).