School pupils evacuated after bogus bomb threat
APRIMARY school was evacuated following a bogus bomb threat.
Parents of children at Tonacliffe Primary School in Whitworth were told to pick them up after a hoax call at around 9am on Friday.
The threat was quickly discredited, but school bosses had no choice but to send about 300 children home.
All parents received a phone call or text message at around 10.30am telling them to collect their children immediately.
The text read: “Unfortunately, school has to be closed immediately. Please come now to collect your children from the playground. Do not phone school.”
Parents were not given any other information, but rumours of a bomb threat began to circulate as they arrived at the school, on Tonacliffe Way, where police were already on scene.
There were reports of children being sent home without their belongings as staff scrambled to get them outside.
Some children were seen in the playground without their shoes or bags.
Officers were seen at the school as the investigation begun. Children’s bags were reportedly searched as officers combed the building.
A small number of pupils who were not picked up by parents were moved to Whitworth Community High School.
One parent, who asked not to be named, said: “I got the text at around 10.30am telling me to collect my children immediately.
“We were told not to phone up and that the kids would be in the playground. There was no other information.
“It was quite worrying, the lack of detail.
“It was obvious something serious had gone on, but we weren’t told what.
“My wife went to pick up the kids, but the school still wouldn’t say anything. I imagine they didn’t want to alarm the children.
“I was later told a threat had been made to the school. All the children apparently had their bags searched.”
A statement from the school read: “We were alerted by the police that they had received a bomb threat relating to the school and we immediately evacuated the school.
“As we couldn’t re-enter the building for some time while the police investigated we took the decision to close the school for the day.
“The police are investigating the incident, and we plan to be open as usual on Monday.”
Lancashire Police said enquiries are ongoing to establish who made the hoax call.