WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN OPEN?
Ceiling collapse in £28m school could have been tragedy
SHOCKING images show the inside of a £28million ‘super school’ due to open next month in Dumfries after the ceiling appeared to have collapsed.
Angry locals shared their outrage after the pictures emerged on social media, warning there could have been tragic consequences if the school, which was close to completion, had been open.
Despite the scale of the damage, last night council and building bosses said there had been a ‘controlled removal’ following a leak in the school.
The ‘super school’ – called the North-West Community Campus – is due to take children from five current primaries.
The incident will increase concerns about the construction of schools and other projects in Scotland under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arrangements.
In Edinburgh, 17 PFI schools were temporarily closed for safety checks following the partial collapse of a primary.
The photographs, taken by a local who wishes to remain anonymous, show a collapsed panel ceiling with apparent bends in the support structure.
Chairs, lockers and a bookcase can be seen in the pictures, with the fractured ceiling hanging over the top.
Locals took to social media to express their horror. Vincent Huijing posted: ‘This doesn’t fill me with confidence in these new plans.’
Karen Kennedy wrote: ‘Thank goodness my kids aren’t going there. I’d be worried sick not knowing what’s going to happen next.’ A spokesman for Graham, the London-based construction firm behind the new school, said: ‘The weight of water over a period of time saturated ceiling tiles and caused sagging and superficial damage.’
Dumfries and Galloway Council said: ‘At the moment, the facility is still the responsibility of Graham.
‘The council will not take ownership of the building until all construction works have been completed to the satisfaction of the council.’