It seems the legend of The Hound of the Baskervilles continues to dog the good folk of Devon, in particular at Tamarside Community College in St Budeaux, in Plymouth.

The school is planning to erect a 2.4 metre steel security fence around its perimeter after a pupil was bitten by a rottweiler during a PE lesson.

According to Keith Ballance, Tamarside’s head, the incident is the latest in a long line of dog-related troubles. Locals have been cutting gaps in the fence so they can walk their dogs on school property. Dog mess is also an issue - even responsible owners who pick it up have been leaving full plastic bags on the fence.

Sadly, any modern-day Sherlock Holmes will not get the chance to sniff out the culprits. It appears that the 21st-century answer is not to hire a world-famous detective, but instead to go for the more prosaic solution of a dog warden.

“We have put up signs in an attempt to discourage dog walkers, but they have been smashed two or three times,” said Mr Ballance.

The role has yet to be advertised in the pages of The TES. But it might prove attractive to behaviour management experts seeking a new challenge.