Yahoo News East Lothian mum's horror as son, 9, finds 10-inch knife on school playing field
An East Lothian pupil found a knife on a school playing field on Thursday morning, November 21.
A worried mum, who wishes to stay anonymous, says her nine-year-old son came across the blade while on the school run around 8.45am in Musselburgh.
The knife was spotted at the Pinkie St Peter's playing fields, which is an area used by both the community and pupils during school hours. The area is outwith the main school grounds.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live, the mum said she alerted police and the school of the knife. Police Scotland confirmed no criminality was found.
The mum added: "It's honestly a scary thought. You don't think you will find something like that on the morning school runs with both my younger kids. My little boy found it and said 'look mum there's a knife'.
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"I thought he was joking. I walked over and right enough there it was and the size of it - I couldn't believe it.
"I sent my nine and eight year olds off to school and removed it to take back to my house. I called the police and they were really fast in responding.
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"They were with me in minutes to retrieve the knife and they took it safely to be destroyed."
She described the knife as "bigger than her kettle" and thought it was fake at first. The mum added: "The blade reminded me of the one out of the Michael Myers movies - that's the only way I can explain how big it was. It was bigger than my kettle.
"I actually thought it was a fake one for Halloween but it wasn't, it was very real."
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Pinkie St Peter’s playing fields are part of a large area of public ground which is also used by the wider Musselburgh community.
“A parent contacted the school to advise that they had found an unsuitable item while accompanying their child to school this morning. We are grateful to them for safely removing the item and contacting police.
“The item was found in an area outwith the main school grounds and would not have been accessible to children during their school day. While our janitors and school staff undertake regular patrols, including before break and lunchtimes, all members of the community have a responsibility to keep areas safe for children who use and enjoy them.”
“Our council teams prioritise the uplift of hazardous items and we encourage people who find anything of concern to contact us immediately for safe uplift and disposal.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Around 9.05am on Thursday, November 21, 2024, we received a report of a knife having been found in the Pinkie Road area of Musselburgh.
"Officers attended and no criminality has been established. The knife will be destroyed."
