“It is not safe to be open”
St Thomas’ CE Junior and Infant School(Image: Google Maps)
A school in Greater Manchester has been forced to close this morning amid the freezing cold snap in our region.
St Thomas’ CE Junior and Infant School, which is in Golborne near Wigan, cannot open today (January 5) due to an issue with the heating. The temperature inside the school due to the hearing failure is ‘way below the legal’ requirement, the headteacher said.
She said ‘it is not safe’ for the school to be open on the first day of the new term as temperatures dropped to -5C in parts of Greater Manchester this morning. In a post on the school’s Facebook page, headteacher Mrs Woods said: “IMPORTANT MESSAGE. Due to a heating failure we cannot open today.
“The temperatures in school are way below the legal working temperature. It is not safe to be open.
“Further information will be sent regarding tomorrow when we know what’s happening. Thankyou for your understanding.”
Hundreds of schools have also been forced to close in northern Scotland where a Met Office amber warning for snow and ice is in place. Forecasters have warned that temperatures will struggle to get above freezing for much of the week, with more disruption to come.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold health alert, as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, for England, running until Tuesday. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours.
He warned: “The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”