A £10million school in the Highlands had to close yesterday after being left with no heating or power – just weeks after opening.
Highland Council said that Lundavra School in Fort William closed after a fire alarm sensor caused the boiler to shut down and “locked down” the canteen and kitchen areas.
The 223-pupil school was opened last month to replace the former Fort William and Upper Achintore primaries.
It was built by Graham Construction and boasts 11 classrooms.
A contractor was called out to fix the problem at the school yesterday and it was expected to reopen this morning.
Wendy Lev, the school’s parent council chairman, said: “My girls were very happy to have the day off today. They did a wee dance down the hill.
“I think it is teething problems, although you maybe would have expected it more in the first week.
“It’s not ideal but unfortunately these things happen. I think most parents will be understanding.”
Fort William councillor Brian Murphy said: “I believe it was just teething problems and hopefully they will all be sorted out pretty quickly.
“You very often get these kind of problems in new buildings, but I wouldn’t expect it to be serious. Hopefully they will be open tomorrow.”
Fellow area councillor Andrew Baxter said: “This just seems to be a one-off.
“If it starts happening every week I would be concerned, but this does just seem to be teething problems.”
A Highland Council spokeswman said: “Lundavra School is closed due to the fire alarm sensor going off in the early hours of Monday morning.
“This automatically shut down the boiler and locked down the canteen and kitchen areas. A contractor was called out to investigate and fix the problem.”
Meanwhile, the local authority also confirmed that Dingwall Academy had been suffering “problems” with its school bell and Tannoy system in recent weeks, but a spokeswoman said it was not linked to the building’s fire alarm.