The kitchen at a Highland school had to be closed after pest controllers discovered rats had chewed their way through bags of food.
Parents also spotted rodents outside Ben Wyvis Primary in Conon Bridge and alerted members of staff.
And a thorough inspection of he £8.9million school – which only opened two-and-a-half years ago – will be carried out during the Easter break.
Pest control teams did not find any evidence of vermin in the kitchen or serving area – but they did discover the rats had been feasting on packets of dry food in a store.
Highland Council confirmed yesterday that head teacher Rita McDaid decided to close the kitchen to allow an inspection to be carried out.
Last night, Antony Smith, who is chairman of the school’s parent partnership and has three children at the primary, said: “It’s disappointing for a new school to have any health concerns but I’m sure that the right steps have been taken by the staff.
“It’s important that all of the facts are established so the right action can be taken to prevent a repeat.”
Pupils at the school – which has a roll of about 250 – were served a cold lunch provided from nearby Dingwall Primary yesterday.
Dingwall and Seaforth councillor Alister Mackinnon, who has a daughter in P7 at the school, said: “It’s an alarming thing to find, especially at a new school.
“I would hope that all efforts are taken to find the cause and deal with it.”
Meanwhile, his ward colleague Councillor Angela MacLean attempted to reassure parents and pupils.
She said: “The council would always first consider the safety of the children and its members of staff.
“There’s no way the head teacher or the council would allow food to be served if there was any infestation in the school.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “Pest control could find no evidence of vermin in the kitchen or serving area.
“However, the head teacher took the decision to close the kitchen while the pest control team were carrying out their investigations as to how the vermin had entered the building.”
She added: “The head teacher made the decision to close the kitchen as it was claimed parents had seen rats outside the school building.
“Pest control visited the school and although there was evidence that vermin had gained access to a store room where some packaging was chewed, they concluded that there is definitely not an infestation.
“They have laid bait and traps and are checking to see how the vermin may have entered the building.
“All preventative measures which can be taken have been, including putting food in plastic containers and storing food on high shelves.
“The school’s maintenance officer and the pest control officer will monitor the situation through the holidays.”
The school’s dining facilities have previously been criticised because of a lack of space in the canteen.
It emerged in 2013 that the primary was being forced to use other rooms because the canteen could only accommodate 60 pupils.