MOBILE metal detectors should be installed at the entrance to Newent Community School to stop pupils bringing in knives, says Councillor Karen Draper.

She told Newent Town Council that parents had raised concerns about a 'knife carrying' problem at the Watery Lane secondary school.

She said: "It's no good burying our heads in the sand. This is an issue and all they have to do is put in one of those arches and that would stop it."

But Newent Community School headteacher Jane Steele said she had no evidence of pupils bringing knives into school.

"If people have any concerns they should come to us and we will investigate," she said.

"We treat any reports relating to alcohol, drugs or weapons very seriously and deal with them appropriately to send a very clear message to students.

"Our senior team is trained to search pupils and has the power to do so. The only school I know that has metal detectors is a fictional one, Waterloo Road."