A £1 MILLION concert hall that is to be the "jewel in the crown" of a Chandler's Ford school has suffered thousands of pounds of damage in a drink-fuelled vandalism attack.

Picnic benches were hurled through sheet glass windows and doors broken down in a £3,500 drunken rampage at Thornden School's Performing Arts Concert Hall which is still under construction.

Ten more windows were smashed in other parts of the school at a cost of £1,000 to replace.

It's the culmination of a series of attacks against the state-of-the art hall, which are eating into the school's budget.

But deputy head teacher Alan Newton has vowed that the project, due to open for pupils after Christmas and to the wider community in the early spring, will not be put back.

Mr Newton said: "This is part of a series of attacks on the school that have taken place since the summer.

"We think they are drink-related because there has been evidence of drinking on site. Bottles have been left.

"The performing arts concert hall is not just for the school, it's for the community as a whole, and these vandals are taking something away from everyone."

The bill for repairs to the hall will be sent to the builder's insurers but Mr Newton is incensed that the firm will have to pick up the tab.

He added: "They are a superb building company. They have delivered the project on time and they don't deserve this.

"The hall will be open for pupils after Christmas and we have got a series of concerts in the pipeline for early spring."

Police are investigating the attacks and the community beat officer and crime reduction officer have advised the school about revised security.

Thornden School has 1,300 pupils and was the first school in Hampshire to gain Performing Arts status in 2000. It raised £100,000 of private funding which was matched by the government and is being used to create a pioneering art, dance and drama base for pupils and the community.