Solar panel issue known a year before school fire

Two fires have been caused by solar panels at two council buildings over the last 13 months

Potential safety issues with solar panels were known to a council for more than a year before a fire broke out at a primary school.

Shanklea Primary School in Cramlington caught fire on 5 July, but Northumberland County Council said it had been aware of potential safety issues with the panels since June 2024 when a similar fire broke out at Northburn Community Centre.

A council spokesman said similar panels fitted on 141 of its buildings had been switched off as a "precaution" following the school fire.

Local Labour leader Scott Dickinson called the year-long delay "crazy" and accused the council of putting lives at risk.

"How lucky are we that the fire happened at the weekend?" he said.

"Somebody could have died.

"There have been two fires, we're just lucky they have not been at a school full of children or a building that could have injured the workforce."

The fire broke out on 5 July, when the school was closed

A council spokesman said there had been "no requirement or recommendation" for the solar panels to be turned off following the Northburn fire but further action would have been taken if there were concerns over public safety.

Following the community centre fire, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service began a plan to inspect all the council's solar panels installed prior to 2019.

The spokesman said there were 81 schools, 10 fire stations, six leisure centres and 44 other buildings fitted with these solar panels in the county. They all remain open.

The council said the fire service had been contacting the sites since July 2024 to request access so the checks could be carried out.

The local authority has been contacted to find out how many of these inspections have been carried out.

"As a precautionary measure, and while the matter is being investigated, the council has isolated solar panels across all similar properties where installations predate 2019," a council spokesman said.

"This will enable the council additional time to consider the findings of the fire investigation report and any recommendations or implications for the wider solar portfolio of sites."