Sheffield pupils and staff sent home after school flooding

Meadowhead School in Sheffield was closed on Wednesday

A school was forced to close due to a flood caused by a faulty sprinkler.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews were called to Meadowhead School in Sheffield shortly after 08:00 GMT on Wednesday.

A sprinkler in the sports hall had activated the fire alarm and caused "serious flooding", a school spokesperson said.

Staff and pupils were sent home after the building was deemed unsafe by the fire service, the spokesperson added.

According to the school, the alarm had been set off before the start of the school day.

Both the school-wide sprinkler system and fire alarm had to be turned off, which meant that fire safety had been compromised.

The school said it had been "with regret" that Meadowhead had to close and said specialist engineers had been called to rectify the issue.

It told the BBC: "On advice of the fire service, we had to close the school to staff and students.

"A skeleton staff remains in the admin area of the building today so that we are able to respond to calls from parents or carers."

The school also commended pupils for their patience during what was described as a "critical incident".

A spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the problem had since been "resolved" and that the school would reopen "as normal" to staff and pupils on Thursday.