PUPILS at a five-year-old school were left retching after a pipe burst and flooded a corridor with sewage
Foul waste dripped down walls and leaked into lockers following the incident at Carnoustie High School, Angus, on Thursday.
Janitors and dinner ladies at the school, which only opened in 2009, donned masks as workers battled to stop the flow and mop up.
But some parents expressed anger that, rather than close the building, students were told to leave the and return after lunch.
Some kept their children away yesterday (fri) amid reports the school still smelled of sewage.
One witness said: “Cleaners are working with masks and mops on one side of some double doors – unmasked support staff on the other side of the door moving pupils along. The stink is outrageous.”
A parent, who asked not to be named, said children were “retching” in the corridors.
“A sewage pipe had burst and it was running down the walls in the kids’ social area, and down behind the lockers where they keep their belongings and lunch.
“They’ve also been told not to use the toilets in the meantime and so they’ve had to go home to do that. It’s a health hazard.”
The affected area was deep cleaned overnight and the school was expected to return to normal yesterday
But parent Suzi Berwick wrote on Facebook: “I stand by my decision to keep my daughter off school today. I want to know what is being done about the way the school handled the situation, and reassurances that if anything like this ever happens again the school will be closed and parents notified.”
Scott Melville asked: “Has the plumbing from the toilets been sorted too?
“Also, it would be very much appreciated if the Headmaster can explain why the situation yesterday was obviously not carried out with an emergency action plan resulting in an extreme amount of confusion, lack of communication and distress from pupils.”
Wendy Soave wrote: “The school should be empty of pupils and teachers and awaiting advices of Environmental Health.”
And Joanna Fitzgerald complained: “My daughter just text me to say that everywhere still stinks and now I feel bad for sending her in.”
A spokesman from Angus Council said: “The school experienced a problem with the overflow of a toilet. The whole area that was affected was isolated immediately. There was a thorough deep clean from a specialist company overnight and the school will open as normal to pupils today.”
