The fear of an influx of Oasis fans, whose followers trashed a school grounds ahead of a concert in Edinburgh nine years ago, led to a school closing hours early to get children out of the way.

The city council said yesterday it decided to close Roseburn Primary at noon, nearly three hours early, after taking police advice on the level of traffic in the area and because there would be drinking in the vicinity.

All children were sent home amid complaints from parents over childcare arrangements while 55,000 Oasis fans made their way to gig at Murrayfield where the gates opened at 2pm ahead of the evening concert.

In July 2000 some councillors wanted to ban the band after Oasis fans "ran amok", leaving excrement, bottles and 30 tonnes of rubbish in their wake in the grounds of Donaldson's School for the Deaf.

Local councillors called for them to be banned from playing the city and one said of the fans: "They were an invading horde, really."

Donaldson's, now closed and under redevelopment, was fenced up enough to stop the fans getting in.

But in the genteel surrounds of streets such as Magdala Crescent, male and female fans relieved themselves in communal gardens as residents watched aghast from their windows.

It is understood the gates of Murrayfield were opened at 2pm to allow the fans somewhere to go other than the impromptu camps they made en route to the stadium.

Gary Duke, 37, of Govan, Glasgow, said: "I came through on the train and it was loud but folk were having a laugh. There's been no trouble."

However, as 100 people were treated for injuries and nine hospitalised in 2000, there were concerns further problems could arise.

A council spokesman said: "We took the decision to close the school for the afternoon based on information we received from the police.

"We also know from past experience that the area will be very busy, access will be difficult and alcohol will be sold in the area."

But single mother Angela McGregor, 30, said she could not afford to take time off work to collect her five-year-old son, Robert, at lunchtime. She said: "I had to ask a Sunday school teacher at St Nicholas' Church to pick up my son.

"If I didn't have her, I would have to take four hours off work to look after him, which I can't afford to do. Robert is losing out on half a day's education."

Katie Sinclair, 39, whose eight-year-old daughter Moy is in primary three at the school, added: "It's ridiculous that the school is having to shut for something that is entertainment after all.

"I'm a qualified teacher so I know how important education is. It's not very fair and considerate.

"Luckily enough, I don't have to make alternative childcare arrangements, but some people will have to."

Another parent, who asked not to be named, added: "The after-school club is also closed due to the concert.

"Why should children's education and working parents suffer for Oasis to make mega money?"

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "All we did was give the school advice and told them what the volume of traffic could be. It was their decision."

The debris from the concert in 2000 cost thousands of pounds to clear.