Alex Price, a teacher at English Martyrs told The Northern Echo a few minutes ago: "Some people have been airlifted away to hospital.

"Some of the teachers have gone down to the scene of the accident and that is all I can tell you at the moment as things are happening as we speak."

A spokesman for the local education authority in Hartlepool said: "It is a major incident and we are treating it as such.

"A council representative has been sent to the scene to see if they can assist the school."

English Martyrs is a catholic voluntary aided comprehensive school and also incorporates a sixth form centre.

It describes itself on its website as a specialist arts college and leading edge school.

It has 1,480 pupils of both sexes aged between 11 and 19 years old.

The school was described in its most recent Ofsted report as a good school with its pupils personal development and well being described as outstanding feature