A HASLINGDEN school will be getting 2.4m and 3m high fencing to stop children leaving the grounds during school hours.

Lancashire County Council's development control committee gave the green light to the safeguarding scheme at Haslingden High School on Thursday morning.

It will see some of the fencing doubled in size from 1.5m as well as some landscaping with hedges around the site and also a new site entrance.

In the report to planners, it was claimed the site is 'too open and allows people to walk through the school premises and also readily allows pupils to walk off site'.

It added: "There has been raised a concern that this is too low as a deterrent to pupils making trips away from school – and that a higher fence, of at least 2.4 metres, is required - to better secure the premises to pupils leaving and also to people entering the premises after hours.

"There is a large area of grassed sporting field to the east of the buildings.

"It is not envisaged to replace the fencing that defines the perimeter boundary of the school in those areas, but instead, build new fencing to

form a new secure fencing line to the school to the east."

The school has approximately 1,600 pupils and 200 staff and is the largest school in the area and school bosses say they need to improve the security of the grounds.

The application was brought before the committee after one neighbour had objected to the fencing as it would give 'the school a prison like appearance and the look and feel of Broadway would be drastically changed.

However at the meeting, Cllr Andrea Kay said; "(I am) More than happy with the fencing and it is needed in the area.

"The new fencing that is going up is far better than what is there."

Cllr Stephen Clarke added: "It is a sad situation when you have got to put big fences up to prevent people not just getting into school but also trying to leave during school hours.

"But on the whole it is something which is needed here."

The council voted unaminously in favour of the scheme.