COUNCILLORS have voted to close Crombie Primary in December, ignoring pleas from villagers to save the school.

The Crombie catchment area will be re-zoned to Limekilns Primary. In February the school was given a stay of execution because the initial closure proposal - which did not go ahead - would have seen the pupils being re-zoned to Cairneyhill with officers being accused then of failing to take into account local opinion.

The closure decision - which comes a day before the school’s 15 pupils return after their summer holidays - would have not surprised local campaigners.

Even before today’s meeting, Tony Orton, vice-chair of Crombie Residents Association, had told the Press, “The gloves are now off. Up until now I’ve always avoided the political aspect and concentrated on whoever would help us regardless of their political colour.

“Now we’ll use all necessary means - that’s political, financial, legal - to make sure this school cannot close in December.” Mr Orton has already written up a detailed case against the closure ready to present to Scottish ministers in the event of a call-in.