Horrified parents are furious they were not told about a convicted paedophile who has been living inside the grounds of a Watford school for almost a year.

Beechfield School in Gammons Lane has tried to evict Timothy Martins from a caretaker's cottage after learning in July about allegations he engaged in sexual activity with a child.

However, its efforts were overruled by the courts in December. Angry parents claim they only found out about the situation after reading a report in the Watford Observer last week.

They have joined Watford MP Claire Ward in condemning the court decision that allowed Martins to live inside the school for the past 11 months. Martins was hired to work as a carettaker - although he never officially started work at the school.

It is thought that he has now moved out of the cottage. However, he has still not been legally evicted.

Parent Lesley Hogg said she was prepared to stop sending her four-year-old daughter to nursery at Beechfield until that happened.

She said: "I am absolutely distraught over this. I've been on the phone with my father and a good friend of mine and they are telling me to keep her out of school. But she loves school."

Martins, 34, was found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl last week, but was allowed to continue living in the cottage after he was charged by police in September.

Martins was able to stay at the caretaker's cottage after a district Judge rejected the school's attempts to evict him in December.

The County Council has appealed against the decision and a ruling will be made on Friday, May 25.

Watford MP, Claire Ward branded the situation "completely unacceptable" and has asked the government to investigate the case.

She said: "There had to be a way of banning Martins from the school grounds while this case was pending. Parents were only told about the situation last Friday and it's not surprising that they are shocked and angry about the legal decisions."