More than a thousand school pupils have been forced to miss classes after a bolt of lightning struck the north-east’s largest school.
Peterhead Academy will not open today due to a fault with their fire alarm system, caused by stormy weather.
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman confirmed that the decision has been taken in the interests of pupil and staff safety.
Peterhead pupils only returned to school on Tuesday after the summer holidays.
Some 1,130 pupils attend the academy.
It is believed the bolt of lightning struck the building several weeks prior to their return and the fault only recently caused the issue.
And last night councillors said, although it was an “inconvenience” for parents, that the wellbeing of pupils, teachers and staff was paramount.
The council spokesman added: “This was caused by a lightning strike.
“There was hope that the fault could be fixed today, but a completely new panel is required.
“A new panel will be fitted tomorrow, but it would be unsafe to allow pupils and staff to be in the building while the fire alarm is not operational.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused, but the safety of pupils and staff has to be our top priority.”
However, the independent councillor for Peterhead North and Rattray, Alan Buchan, made a fresh call for a replacement of the ageing school.
He said: “Hopefully it will be back up and running quickly. It is an inconvenience, but it is an old building and this is just one of the signs of an old building.
“The academy building needs replacement, it is just showing its age, unfortunately. Lightning strikes or bad floods tend to do a lot more damage on an old building.”
However, his fellow councillor, the SNP’s Fiona McRae, added: “The staff and pupils do a fantastic job with what they have, despite the age of the building. There are some super kids in that school and boy, do they pull their weight.
“Despite the age of the building, there is still a modern system in there. It is just a sign of the times, health and safety has to take precedence over everything else.”
The SNP-led council administration has made replacing Peterhead Academy, to the tune of roughly £40million, one of its priorities.
Peterhead SNP councillor and chairwoman of the social work and housing committee, Anne Allan, said: “It is an inconvenience, but it is a health and safety matter. We can’t have children and teachers and staff in a building when the fire alarms aren’t working.”
Updates on the fire alarm work will be available through the council’s website.
