Graffiti taggers caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage when they targeted an infants school.

West Blatchington Infants School in Hove was daubed with phrases about dead rappers and the tag 187.

The vandals began defacing the buildings on Tuesday last week which led to children and staff putting up a notice pleading with them to leave their premises alone.

But a member of staff working late caught them in the act on CCTV on Friday night and called the police.

Headteacher Carol Grey backed a campaign by The Argus to clamp down on the taggers and said: "It's just absolutely mindless damage and we had to put up a sign from the children so they would read it if they returned, appealing to their better nature, but they ignored it.

"It read: 'To whoever is doing this to our building, can you stop doing this. We are proud of our school. Our teachers, governors and parents work hard to make this a nice place to come to'.

"It began on Tuesday and stretched through until Friday but it was not just graffiti.

"We had some vandalism as well when they ripped down the intercom buzzer.

"It was not particularly abusive graffiti but it was all to do with the 187 Crew, that's their tag, and there were things like Tupac and Rest In Peace scrawled on the buildings. It was everywhere. "

Much of the graffiti has been cleaned off but Mrs Grey was angry people would deface a school where children aged between three and seven come to learn.

Police assigned to Operation Halter, a Government-funded initiative to crack down on violent crime and anti-social behaviour, responded to a call from the school in Hangleton Way.

Sergeant Richard Delacour, of Hove police station, said: "Apparently 187 is the name of a film with Samuel L Jackson and has been taken up by a number of people so it's difficult to identify any one person."

Five youths were stopped by police in connection with graffiti and possession of controlled drugs. One was arrested and released on police bail pending analysis of the drugs.