YOUTHS firing pellet guns near a school playround are to be the target of a joint operation involving police, parents and residents.

Pupils at Woodrow First School have been forced to stop using parts of their playing field because of the danger.

In one of several incidents this year, one student suffered bruising after being hit by a pellet fired from outside the Longdon Close school. The child returned to school after receiving treatment at the Alexandra Hospital's A&E department.

Headteacher Barry Newton wants the hazard stamped out before pupils return in September.

Mr Newton said parents had welcomed the strategies so far adopted by the school to cope with the problem.