Teenage joyriders put the lives of dozens of schoolchildren at risk after losing control of their cars and smashing through a playground wall. The three young drivers, one of whom was just 14 and is the son of a policeman, smashed through a wall at the Dubai Centre for Special Needs at 8am on Monday morning as pupils attending nearby schools were arriving for class.

One of the joyriders, none of whom had driving licences, needed hospital treatment, but no one else was injured. Dubai Police said a 17-year-old national lost control of a four-wheel drive which went into a spin and hit two sedans driven by the others, causing all three to crash into the wall.

The driver was arrested and held in police custody but was later released on bail "as he had exams to attend". Staff at the Dubai Centre for Special Needs say it is the second time in three months that the wall has been smashed by young joyriders.

Head teacher Tina Burchell said tougher action was needed against the reckless youngsters who have been terrorising the area for two years. "This has gone on long enough and poses a constant danger to the schools and the drivers themselves," she said. "They are endangering the lives of our staff and pupils and one of these days someone will be killed. This incident happened at a time when several hundred children were arriving to attend four other schools in the immediate area.

"The worst thing is that even though the accident only happened yesterday, other joyriders were out in force again this morning. The screeching of their tyres and brakes is so loud that we can hear it in our building.

Centre director Dr Mashid Salehi added, "For a while things did improve a little because all the schools made a lot of complaints to the police, but now it's exam time and it has started again. We were lucky it happened now and not in the winter when a number of our students spend time in the centre's gardens and could have been hurt.

"Less than three months ago we had the wall near the entrance to the centre knocked down and it cost us Dh5,000 to repair. We are still waiting for the offender's insurance company to pay for the damage.

"This sum of money is enough to pay a term's fees for a pupil whose family perhaps can't afford the money. We are also desperately trying to raise funds to pay for the completion of our new wing and can certainly do without this kind of expense."

The father of the 14-year-old joyrider has offered to help rebuild the wall and said he was "shocked" by his son's actions. "I sincerely regret what has happened and I thank God my son and the other boys were not killed," he said. "This is certainly a very bad thing that has happened and now that I have witnessed it first-hand I will do my best to ensure it is taken seriously as a police matter. This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated."

Burchell added, "We are pleased that this boy's father came forward to help with the damage, but it has to be noted that his son was not the main culprit. He was actually forced off the road by the other two drivers and they are the ones responsible for the crash. We have heard nothing from them or their parents by way of apology."

Dr Major Jumal Al Muhairi, Director of Bur Dubai Police Station, urged parents to take responsibility and advise their children on the dangers of reckless driving.

He said such incidents happen more frequently during the summer holidays because students have too much free time, and he added that Dubai Police will continue to patrol the area and will clamp down hard on future offenders.