Unruly university students terrorised staff from a £12,500-a-year private school by throwing fireworks at properties and taking drugs on playing fields, it has emerged.

Emails seen by KentOnline reveal rowdy undergrads in Canterbury repeatedly trespassed on St Edmund’s grounds.

Exasperated bosses from the independent school wrote to University of Kent vice-chancellor Karen Cox to tell her their teachers were in the “potentially dangerous position” of having to regularly confront late-night intruders.

To stamp out the problem, additional security guards were employed to watch the site during the night and St Edmund’s employees were ordered to call police immediately if they spotted students on their fields.

One of the emails to Prof Cox stated: “Yesterday alone we dealt with UKC students trespassing on our junior school pitches in Whitstable Road to play football at 4pm.

“Late that night, UKC students (were) smoking drugs on a sports field.

“And after 11pm, UKC students (were) firing fireworks at houses occupied by the school in Giles Lane. We have the remains of the fireworks as evidence.”

In the email, obtained by KentOnline through a Freedom of Information request, Prof Cox was told the escalating “problems created by trespass, noise and anti-social behaviour from UKC students” had been going on for two months.

St Edmund’s claimed the issues had reached a point where it was “impacting upon our ability to operate safely as a boarding school”.

Teachers living within the grounds in St Thomas Hill were also said to be tolerating blaring music, screaming, and car horns emanating from Turing College “every night”.

And the email even noted the “potential reputational damage” the school could have been suffering following such cases of anti‐social behaviour.

“Residential staff, some with young families, are being woken in the small hours every night,” it continued.

“These instances are placing my staff in the difficult, potentially dangerous position of having to confront intruders, sometimes very late at night to remove them from our premises.

“I have done this myself at 2am when a group of UKC students were running around shouting outside my house at the school.

“If anything, the situation has deteriorated. This cannot continue.”

Despite receiving assurances from Prof Cox the following day that greater numbers of security guards would be monitoring the city campus, there was more reported rule-breaking.

Students allegedly flouted Covid restrictions twice to play 20-strong football games on the school’s playing fields.

“These instances are placing my staff in the difficult, potentially dangerous position of having to confront intruders, sometimes very late at night to remove them from our premises..."

After police arrived, the young rogues fled.

The email sent by St Edmund’s in November added: “Throughout the weekend fireworks were being let off around Turing College during the evenings and late at night.

“To address the trespassing by UKC students, the school has had to hire in two additional overnight security staff from a private contractor. Perhaps we can discuss splitting the costs associated with this.”

Prof Cox stressed in her final message to the independent that she had asked campus security to focus their attentions on Turing College, the Park Wood residential complex and around St Edmund’s.

In a joint statement, the school and the university say the problems encountered were quickly resolved.

“As neighbours we communicate regularly on safety and security matters,” they said.

“These incidents in November were swiftly resolved at the time and we will continue to work constructively with each other to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe and peaceful for all.”

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