TWO hundred pupils from a fire-ravaged school were back behind desks on Monday as Leigh MP Andy Burnham called for action against vandals.

Children from St John's CE Primary at Hindley Green have been temporarily transfered to Hindley Junior and Infants, Hollins Primary and St Benedict's schools.

Now Leigh MP Andy Burnham has asked Schools Minister David Milliband for help in re-building St John's.

He said: "The school has been a fixture at the heart of the Hindley Green community for as long as anyone can remember, and it is sad to see it in this sorry state."

Mr Burnham said "mindless acts of vandalism" like the fire "cause disruption to many children, their families and a whole community.

"Problems with youth gangs have to be tackled. People cannot be expected to put up with them and it cannot be allowed to go on. It is not just a job for the police but all of us working together to intervene much earlier."

He added: "Out of a bad experience, we have an opportunity to achieve a positive for the local community and that should be our goal."