How red v blue 'school war' rumour caused alarm across town

It is thought a social media post started it all - an online notice for a school "war" pitching the pupils of six secondaries against each other. But the date for the purported "red v blue" brawl in Leamington Spa - which was last Friday - came and went without a fight. Some parents, expecting trouble, kept pupils at home for their safety - one school said 50 pupils were off. Most children went in, but at the end of the school day, traffic snarled up as concerned mums and dads rushed to pick up their children. Warwickshire Police stationed officers outside schools, many of which had formally issued advice to parents. A few days on, it is still unclear whether a fight was ever planned or it was only ever rumour that got a bit out of hand. Police say they are monitoring the situation but some parents have branded it all a "storm in a tea cup". The "red v blue" trend emerged in February, with online posts celebrating rivalry between pupils in London and dividing schools into teams for a supposed brawl. Since then, a number of copycat versions have emerged around the country. In Leamington, schools said a number of "concerning" social media posts had circulated on platforms including T