Christmas: Rats force concert cancellation at Colwyn Bay school

Eirias High School will remain open but close the classrooms infested by rodents

A school has cancelled its Christmas concert after a rat infestation.

Pupils at Eirias High School in Colwyn Bay, Conwy county, were due to perform on Thursday but reports of rats in abandoned toilets prevented this.

One teacher described the school as "filthy" and said staff complaints of the infestation had been ignored.

Head teacher Sarah Sutton said the school would work with the council to assess risk and "plan appropriate actions".

The school was closed on Friday.

Conwy council said pest control would advise when those classrooms were safe to use.

Parents were sent a letter informing them about sightings of rodents over the past few days, and of possible risks to their children's health, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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However, a teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said staff had complained several times of rats in classrooms during lessons.

"The school is filthy and teachers have been telling senior managers about signs of rats, which have been ignored for weeks... until unions got involved," they said.

"Rats have run across classrooms with pupils there, there have been rat droppings on chairs and tables, walls, computer keyboards."

Rats are known to carry numerous harmful diseases.

County councillor Abdul Khan, who represents the ward where the school is located, said the rat infestation was a "health issue" but he understood that pest control measures were being undertaken.

"Because I know there's action being taken I'm less worried.

If nothing was being done, then we'd internally demand that action's taken, but everybody's doing their part."