One college in Devon confirmed with RAAC

Petroc College said two buildings on its Barnstaple campus had been identified as having RAAC

One college in Devon has been included in the government's list of educational establishments where potentially defective concrete has been identified.

Petroc College is on list of places with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as RAAC, in some of its buildings.

The college has campuses in Barnstaple and Tiverton, with higher and further education courses, along with the largest sixth form in north Devon.

It said in a letter to parents it took "immediate action" when RAAC was identified and there was "no risk" to staff or students.

'Acted immediately'

The college said its own surveyors identified two buildings on its Barnstaple campus that had RAAC in February.

The letter said: "We acted immediately, evacuating and sealing off the two spaces on the day they were identified so that no staff or students could enter.

"We commissioned an inspection from specialist structural engineers the following week and confirmed with government structural engineers who also inspected what work was required to fix the issue."

One of the buildings has since been repaired with a new supporting roof structure and it reopened in August.

The second area "remains sealed off so that no students, staff or visitors can access it, so there is no danger from RAAC to anyone on campus," the letter said.

The college was working with the "government complex projects team over the best fix for this space", the letter stated.

The government has named 147 schools nationwide known to have RAAC, with four known to be teaching all pupils online as a result.

There are currently no other known cases of RAAC in schools or other public buildings in Devon and Cornwall but many authorities are in the process of carrying out checks.