Paying for lunch has gone hi-tech in seven Wrexham schools

The scheme, which sees pupils pay a one-off weekly fee for swipecards used daily, has been introduced in seven of the county's high schools.

However, Darland High School in Rossett near Wrexham saw the system cause havoc last week with pupils having to wait up to two hours for their meals.

"We have had some technical difficulties," said headteacher Chris Hughes.

"The computer system failed last week and the canteen queue ground to a halt.

"The biggest problem is not so much the card system. The school has grown so much in recent years and we have a very small canteen."

None of that concern has been reported to me Chris Hughes headteacher

Mr Hughes hopes the school will be modernised and a new dining hall built.

Ice cream vans

In the meantime, ice cream vans have been drafted through the school gates to help reduce the dinner queues.

"As a short-term means we recognised that quite a lot of our youngsters were joining the queue just to get a drink or sweets," said Mr Hughes.

"We brought the ice cream vans in to deal with it but the level of transitions in the school canteen hasn't dropped."

There have been reports that parents complained about the introduction of the ice cream vans and the two-hour delay for school meals.

"None of that concern has been reported to me," said Mr Hughes whose school has 997 pupils.

The system sees students exchange cash in advance for meals and Mr Hughes said it was believed to reduce bullying and the "stigma" of youngsters receiving free school dinners.

Wrexham plans to introduce the scheme throughout every school in the region.

"The majority of the county borough's secondary schools already successfully operate cashless dining, an initiative which has been well received by both pupils and teaching staff at the schools," said council spokesman Wynford Thomas.