A SCHOOL in Renfrewshire was put on lockdown after a herd of COWS gatecrashed the playground.

Pupils were kept inside after a dozen beasts sparked chaos by taking over the grounds and a staff car park.

3 The cattle are thought to have escaped from a nearby field

3 Stunned pupils tried to run back to class as they left for lunch

The free-roaming cattle - believed to have broken out of a nearby field - munched on grass outside St Benedict’s in Linwood, Renfrewshire.

They enjoyed grazing for more than two hours before they were eventually rounded up.

Stunned pupils told how they were forced to run back to class as they tried to leave for lunch on Wednesday.

One schoolkid wrote on Twitter: “Cannot believe a herd of cows surrounded my school today and chases the people going out for lunch back into the school.

Another said: “Can’t believe my school went on lockdown because cows were right outside it."

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One pupil posted a video of the unusual visit and wrote: “When your school gets held hostage by cows. Only in Scotland.

One bemused local said: “The kids thought it was hilarious.

“The cows have broken out a few times before - and last year one ended up in our garden.

“The fields are leased out by farmers from other nearby towns which is why it might have taken so long to track down the owner.”

3 They grazed on school grounds for two hours before moving off

Another pupil shared snaps of the herd on Twitter and said: “Just your average lunchtime with some cows in the school grounds.

“They were there for hours and we weren’t allowed to leave.”

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A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “Thanks to the quick actions of the teachers, all children were safely escorted into the school building.

“Police were immediately called and the incident was resolved quickly.”

darren.hamilton@the-sun.co.uk

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