A SCHOOL has “banned the band” — because the loom band craze sweeping the playgrounds could put animals in its “city farm” at risk.

Staff at Scared Heart RC Primary in Westhoughton are asking children to leave their Rainbow loom bands at home to keep safe the animals in the school’s new outdoor learning area.

And Blackrod Primary School is asking children to keep the colourful bands out of the classroom to stop them becoming distracted in lessons.

Children spend hours weaving the loom bands together.

They are so popular event the Duchess of Cambridge has been seen wearing them.

Headteacher at Sacred Heart, Martin Johnson, said: “The only reason behind our banning the bands is due to our city farm.

“The rubber bands were finding their way into the sheep and goat enclosures, and near to the chickens, turkey and cat.

"Obviously we don't want our animals to be eating rubber bands and getting sick, so we have banned the bands.”

Blackrod Primary says children are allowed to take them into school on special occasions, falling under the same rules concerning toys and jewellery.

Katherine Mead, assistant head, said: “It is a nice pastime for the children - it develops their fine motorskills, and it is not gender-specific.

“The children really enjoyed making them on a coach trip to France and teachers were given quite a few as presents.

"The children are really creative and go on YouTube looking for new designs.”

But she added: “At school we have a no jewellery policy for safety reasons because we have an adventure playground, outdoor learning area and children have a minimum of two hours of PE every week.

“Children are not allowed to bring toys into school and the equipment for making the loom bands can be expensive, and we don’t want it to break or get damaged.”