Three children, aged six to 12, are arrested for 'causing $50,000 worth of damage at Oklahoma school after smashing through a door, dumping paint on the floor and setting off fire extinguishers'

Three young children have been arrested by police in Oklahoma on suspicion of causing $50,000 worth of damage at a school.

The trio - aged six, eight and 12 - were arrested on Sunday and later released to their parents. They are not being named due to their age.

The children are believed to have broken a glass door to enter Altus Intermediate School in the south west of the state, 150 miles west of Oklahoma City.

'Surveillance cameras inside the school show the juveniles damaging computers, dumping paint on floors and walls, using fire extinguishers inside multiple rooms and damaging interior doors and interior windows,' the Altus Police Department said.

Photos released by the police showed the carnage inside the school, with red and blue paint splattered on the floor, desks and doors, and furniture upended.

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Photos provided by Altus Police Department showed the destruction inside the school

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Trash cans were turned over and throw around the corridors, and a football covered in paint

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Tell-tale footprints showed the trail of destruction. Three children were arrested and released

Red paint handprints covered a giant football, and red footprints trailed across the floor.

Trash cans were overturned and papers strewn on the floor.

The school, which has 440 students, is in the process of cleaning up the mess.

It was unclear whether the families would be asked to pay for the damage caused by their children, or whether the children would face any punishment from the police. 

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Altus Intermediate School, in south western Oklahoma, close to the border with Texas