Emergency closure for school after 'major gas leak'

Families have been urged to keep pupils at home while the issue is fixed

A primary school in the New Forest has been forced to shut after a gas leak.

New Milton Infant School in Hampshire said engineers had identified a "major gas fault" on the site.

In a report on Hampshire County Council's website, parents were told to keep their children at home, with the school closed "for today and possibly longer".

The school has no heating or hot water, with engineers working to fix the problem.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the school said: "A gas fault was found early this morning before the children arrived for school and Southern Gas Networks were contacted immediately."

The school said teachers would be making homework available on the school's intranet and families would be given a further update later.