Someone wearing a Boris Johnson mask reportedly shot schoolchildren with a Nerf gun while swearing and pushing an empty buggy.

Police patrols have been upped after the culprit, described as being a boy around 12, prowled the perimeter of Parkgate Junior School while threatening kids yesterday afternoon.

The reports emerged after multiple children told parents they were shot at.

A Herts Police spokesperson confirmed they were called to sightings of a boy outside the school fence in Southwold Road, Watford, at 1.20pm.

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One parent told the Watford Observer a few children were hit and added they were upset with the school “downplaying” the incident.

They said: “I know there’s only so much they can do without building a brick wall or boarding up the gates, but the school are really playing it down. 

"We aren’t getting the right level of detail and it's a lot less than we get from the children.

“Apparently, he shot the children with the Nerf gun which is something we expect the school to be sharing.

“It's only a Nerf gun but you shouldn’t be walking around a school with a Nerf gun or any gun, you would expect a more immediate response.”

A Herts Police spokesperson confirmed the boy was reportedly wearing a Boris Johnson mask, shooting a Nerf gun at pupils and swearing while pushing an empty buggy.

"No one was hurt during the incident, but the children were understandably left distressed by what had happened," they added.

A spokesperson for Parkgate Junior School said: “Unfortunately, we did have an incident outside the school yesterday where a child/teenager was talking to a small number of pupils through the school fence in a threatening way and using inappropriate language.

“The child did not enter the school premises and the children were not in any danger, although this was obviously an upsetting incident for them.”

The school added that they reported the incident to police and were told patrols will be increased today.

They added: “We did write to parents yesterday to inform them of the incident, with all the information we had at the time.

“Our priority is to make sure that our pupils feel safe and secure at school, and we are making sure the pupils involved are supported.”

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