A PRANKSTER persuaded parents that their children’s school was having a snow day by tampering with a text.

Paul Tait, 48, from Patcham, posted an image of a text message stating that Patcham High School was shut because of “last night’s snow flurry” on a Facebook community page as a hoax.

But, after seeing the message, many confused parents contacted the school asking if they should keep their children off school, despite the fact the area had only received a light dusting of the white stuff.

A repentant Paul said: “It wasn’t made with any bad intentions, it was just for a chuckle.

“The school send out text messages about weather warnings, so I just altered it on my phone on an app.

“Honestly, it was so badly done, the text was off-centre, at an angle and it was a different font to the usual messages.”

The message advised parents to take a snow day themselves by calling in sick to their workplaces.

It invited them to Mackie Park, located around the corner from the school, for a session of sledging and snowmen building.

Then, the message finished with a thumbs-up emoji.

But, Paul’s hurried handiwork was enough to convince many parents that the school was closed for the day.

He only realised this when he received a call from the school’s headmaster.

Paul said: “He called me and said he had been contacted by some parents saying they had seen it and asking if it was true.

“Both my kids go to the school and they’re both well-behaved so I was confused at first to be getting a call from the headmaster.

“But, then I realised it was me who was getting their wrist slapped.

“I totally understand the school’s stance though, so I thought it was prudent to take the original post down and put another one up saying that it had been a joke.”

Paul said he often posted on the Facebook site, but was surprised by the message’s effect.

He said: “I post funny stuff up there quite often and people know me for it, I’ve never put a serious post on there. So, I couldn’t quite believe it when I found out that people had taken it seriously.”

Soon, there may be reason for schools to call a snow day. The Met Office have forecast flurries of snow between 1pm today and 9pm on Friday with the whole of Sussex under a yellow snow and ice warning.