Dumfries parents claim "danger zone" school invaded by rats and teachers suffering electric shocks

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Parents claim teachers at a “danger zone” Dumfries school have suffered electric shocks from faulty wiring.And that the kitchen at the premises was forced to close because of an invasion of rats.They are now calling on the council to close Loreburn Primary as soon as possible before a child is injured.In a complaint to education bosses, the parent council insists: “The school is no longer safe for our children and the staff.”Vice chairwoman Heidi Wu, whose three children attend Loreburn, said: “Rats within the school causing the kitchen to be closed, part of the ceiling falling down in the girls toilets and multiple teachers receiving shocks haspushed us to breaking point.“This school is no longer safe for our children and the staff.

Something needs to be done as soon as possible.“Is it honestly going to take a child being injured or worse for the council to take action on the only town centre school?”The school was part of phase two of the Learning Town project which would see a partial refurbishment of Dumfries Academy for £16.5m and the relocation of Loreburn Primary into the Minerva building there at a cost of £7.12m.The programme, which also includes a new £48m Dumfries High, has been put on hold due to Covid and works are scheduled to commence next year, with the completion date anticipated to be within 2025/26.But Loreburn parents are no longer prepared to wait.

Mrs Wu said: “We’ve all been made aware of the plans to move the school but the timescale is no longer acceptable for us.“We fully understand Covid has caused a delay but things have escalated out of control and it’s not good enough.“We need a solution as soon as possible that doesn’t include portable cabins in other school playgrounds and that has minimal