THE headteacher of Peebles High has praised his school and the wider community in the aftermath of a devastating fire at the site.

In a statement issued exclusively to the Peeblesshire News, Campbell Wilson said: “Last week’s fire was a shock for all of us and presents us with a significant challenge for the weeks and months ahead.

“Everything I have learned about the Peebles community, our young people, and our staff gives me great confidence that we will have the resilience and the compassion to support each other and come back stronger and ready to succeed in the New Year.

“As a council, we have been working tirelessly to plan the best quality learning experiences we can and we will not allow this tragedy to prevent us from delivering a high quality learning experience for all.

“The emergency planning response structure at SBC remains in place to help us deal with this massive challenge by working across all areas with a corporate response to this incident.

“If any community can meet this challenge, it is the Peebles community.

“I want to publicly thank our neighbouring schools and communities who have rallied around us in support and who further bolster our confidence that our school community will flourish again soon.”

Meanwhile, people continue to be warned to stay away from the Peebles High School site for their own safety.

The site is secured, with security staff, CCTV and regular police patrols in place.

Police Scotland’s Chief Superintendent John McKenzie said: “We are aware of youths who have entered the building, placing themselves at risk.

"This is a hazardous and unsafe environment for anyone to be in. We would ask parents and carers to assist us; talk to your child about the potential dangers and the consequences as this could make a difference to their safety. We will take action against anyone found within the site.

Scottish Borders Council chief executive, Tracey Logan added: “It is extremely dangerous for anyone to come close to, or try and enter, any part of the school. I cannot stress enough how important it is to remain well clear of the school site at this time.

“I understand that people are keen to get back their belongings that may have been left behind during the evacuation. I can assure everyone that we are working on arrangements."

All updates as they emerge are continually being published on www.scotborders.gov.uk/PHSFire