Teachers sent to hospital after lightning strike

Priory School was struck by lightning on Tuesday

Teachers have been given heart checks in hospital after a school was struck by lightning.

Four teachers were reportedly using IT equipment when they received "mild electric shocks" at Priory School in Southsea, Hampshire, on Tuesday.

Pupils were shut in classrooms for two hours after school leaders feared a car bomb had gone off.

The school is closed because of damage to heating and electrical equipment.

Head teacher Stewart Vaughan said staff initially thought a car bomb had gone off

Head teacher Stewart Vaughan said there was a "very, very loud bang" shortly after 10:00 GMT.

He said: "We thought it was a car bomb, it was that loud.

"We had fire alarms going off, we had lighting that had gone down, we had electricity that had gone down.

"In those circumstances, we go immediately into lockdown so the students stay in classrooms while we ascertain the level of risk to the site.

"[I'm] enormously proud of the students - they were incredibly patient, incredibly supportive, good-humoured."

The students were sent home at midday because of the partial loss of heating, lighting and fire alarms.

One teacher told the BBC a boiler and more than 15 computers had been damaged.

Mr Vaughan said the affected teachers quickly left hospital after ECG checks and were in no discomfort.

He said: "It looks like the lightning strike was so fierce that any members of staff that were literally working on their keyboards at that point got a mild electric shock.

"It was quite alarming for some members of staff... People are pretty shaken."

The school said it would fully reopen on Thursday.