Sewage in playground forces school closure

Leighswood School in Walsall has had to delay re-opening after the Christmas break due to a blocked sewer

A school has been forced to delay re-opening after the Christmas break after a blocked drain led to "running sewage on the playground".

Leighswood School, a primary in Aldridge, Walsall, was due to start the new term on Monday but said it would remain closed until Wednesday at the earliest.

In a statement on its website on Monday, the school said it was still waiting for clean-up teams to arrive, "despite assurances" from water company Severn Trent.

Severn Trent apologised for the disruption, saying it had sent teams last week and on Monday to clear the blockage, and it was doing a full clean-up on Tuesday.

Sarah Lenton, the school's business manager, told the BBC she hoped the school could now re-open on Wednesday.

"There is quite a clean-up to be done," she said.

Severn Trent said its teams had gone to the site on Friday after flooding was reported, before returning on Monday to complete work to clear "a complicated blockage" caused by bricks in the pipework.

They added the latest work would include a full clean-up and checks on the pipe to ensure it was clear.

"It will be our absolute priority to have the area cleaned and back to normal as quickly as possible, and we're sorry again for the disruption that's been caused," a spokesperson said.