HUNDREDS of kids had to hide under their desks after ‘idiots’ rang in a hoax bomb threat to a number of Furness schools and McDonald’s in Barrow.

At lunchtime yesterday calls were made to schools including some in Barrow.

McDonald’s in Barrow was also targeted but it is not known which of the two restaurants was called.

Police were sent to the various sites and sniffer dogs conducted searches before the incidents were determined to be a hoax.

Schools are issued guidance on how to plan a dynamic lockdown policy.

Dynamic lockdown quickly restricts access to a site and prevents people moving into danger areas.

Chetwynde School in Barrow was one of the educational establishments targeted.

Headteacher Steve Jefferson said staff and pupils ‘responded responsibly and swiftly’.

“I’m pleased with the response from the school and also from the swift and professional way in which the police dealt with the situation,” he said.

One Chetwynde dad described those responsible for the threats as ‘idiots’.

“I can’t tell you what I’d do to them if I got my hands on them,” he said.

Parents of pupils at Chetwynde were sent an email about the incident to reassure them of their children’s safety.

Deputy headteacher Louise Hinton said: “At lunchtime today we received a hoax phone call that led to us enacting our lockdown procedure and calling the police.

“Similar calls were sent to other schools in the area. All staff were immediately informed and the police called.

“Pupils were kept safe and supervised inside the building that they were in when they heard the news and waited patiently to be allowed to move around the school freely again.

“The police thoroughly checked the area before the site was declared safe.

“All pupils behaved impeccably, followed protocol and made the event easy to resolve.”

The Mail approached Cumbria Police for a comment. Call police on 101.