CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A 50-YEAR-OLD staff member saved his Chippenham school from losing £15,000 computer equipment after he chased off three thieves.

Dave Maloney, ICT systems manager at Sheldon School, Hardenhuish Lane, had gone to work on Monday, normally his day off, and ended up chasing away three men when they tried to steal laptops at about 2.30pm.

He said: "I was in an adjoining room and could hear male voices, which I didn't expect to hear because the only other people around were cleaning ladies."

When he went to investigate he heard scurrying footsteps. He then noticed the glass-panelled door of the locked computer suite had been shattered.

Mr Maloney had been working on staff laptops, installing new software in the computer suite, which meant many were laid out on desks.

Mr Maloney said: "Then I noticed there were quite a lot of laptops in bags.

"I was even more suspicious now. Then, wandering down the back stairs, I found another stack of laptops."

Mr Maloney ran outside and spotted three men in their early 20s. They were hiding behind a brick store.

He said: "They made no attempt to go off site. They had just hidden themselves."

Mr Maloney, an ex-serviceman, challenged the men who said they were visiting friends working at the school but could not name them.

He continued to follow them as they walked away and they got into a Ford Escort and drove off.

He said: "One of the problems is that we can't physically restrain them and in this day and age it would be a dangerous thing to do anyway. I was amazed by their audacity to break in during the day."

But he said at least the incident was caught on CCTV camera.

Headteacher Gerard MacMahon said: "Some people think they can wander into schools but here they will be challenged."

"The thing that worries me is that they seemed to know where they were looking. Rather than being opportunistic they had a rather good idea of what they were looking for."

He said it did raise some concerns about security but he did not like the idea of building a fence around the school, which shares its site with Hardenhuish School.

One of the men is described as white, about 5ft 8in, and wearing a white and blue rugby top, a red cap and white trainers.

Any witnesses should contact PC Nick Spargo at Chippenham police on (01249) 654455.