Parents have been left furious after a County Durham school stopped serving hot lunches when rats were allegedly found in the kitchen area.
Prince Bishops Primary School in Coundon Grange confirmed that staff found “signs of pests” in a storage cupboard after half-term renovation work. The problem has since been dealt with.
Several angry parents told The Northern Echo that children had not eaten hot dinners at the school since returning after the summer break. One said: “Children are still eating lunches in the hall where rats are.”
The trust running the Gibson Street school said the problem had been resolved and hot dinners would resume on September 17 after an Environmental Health inspection.
The school has served cold lunches since pupils returned earlier this month.
Nick Blackburn, chief executive of Lingfield Education Trust, which runs the school, said: “The safety, health, and wellbeing of the children in our care is always our top priority, and for that reason the main school kitchen at Prince Bishops Primary School was temporarily closed at the start of this term.
“Following building work carried out over the summer, school staff identified signs of pest activity in a storage cupboard when they returned to school. As a precaution and in line with best practice, the main kitchen was closed while the issue was investigated and addressed."
Mr Blackburn said Environmental Health and Durham County Council were involved, while a specialist company carried out a deep clean of the affected areas.
He added: “Problems with the recent building work that contributed to the incident have been identified and fixed, with extra measures introduced to prevent it happening again.
“During this period, Environmental Health inspected the school’s separate kitchen classroom at the other end of the building and found it clean and suitable for use. Lunch preparation was temporarily moved there.
“Children were given cold lunches and some hot meals ordered from local suppliers. Parents were also told they could send children in with packed lunches if they preferred.”
Mr Blackburn said the school and trust would “continue to monitor the kitchen closely and maintain ongoing hygiene, cleaning, and pest-control measures.”
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He said headteacher Claire Patchett emailed parents on September 3 about problems linked to the summer building work, then updated them on September 7 that the temporary lunch arrangements were continuing.
Mr Blackburn added: “No parents have approached her directly with concerns, but she has liaised with parent governors to provide reassurance and updates.
“Staff have received no reports that pupils were distressed by the temporary arrangements or the presence of pest-control professionals.
“We want to thank the children for showing such maturity throughout this time. We are also grateful to parents and families for their patience and support, as well as to our staff and the professionals who have worked to ensure the children remain safe and well.”
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