A village school is to scrap its historic witch logo because of fears that it drives away pupils and teachers.

Warboys Community Primary School has used the emblem of a witch riding a broomstick for more than 60 years.

It marks the fact that the Cambridgeshire village was the last place in England to hang witches, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But governors want to get rid of the logo as part of measures to give it a "fresh start" after poor inspection reports.

A statement from the school claimed: "The school is aware that some parents choose not to send their children to Warboys and cite the witch as one of the reasons why.

"It is also known that some potential teachers and head teachers have cited the witch logo as a reason not to apply for posts."

But the decision has caused concern in the village, where residents have collected a petition of more than 1,000 names protesting at the change.

Jill Pierce, the owner of the village post office, said: "This has gone well outside the school now. Customers who have been here a long time feel it is a threat to their history."

Martin Kelsey, the head teacher charged with improving the school, admitted: "From the villagers' point of view, it's an emotive issue, because they are very, very proud of their history."