Schools stay closed over fear of dirty water

AS PUPILS began to return to schools across Wales on Monday after three months of closure, five schools in Blaenau Gwent remained shut because of contaminated water supplies.

Brynmawr Foundation School, Blaen-y-Cwm Primary School in Brynmawr and Ystruth Primary School in Blaina will be closed for the next two weeks after “a localised contamination”.

Willowtown Primary School in Ebbw Vale will also remain shut because of “water supply issues” but may open later this week.

Tredegar Comprehensive reopened yesterday.

The news from Blaenau Gwent Council prompted the NASUWT teaching union to warn that children and staff in those schools working as hubs for key workers and vulnerable children during closure may have been at risk from contaminated water.

NASUWT local representative Mark Morris said: “The NASUWT was informed of some schools in Blaenau Gwent where bacterial contamination was found last week, but we were told that measures were in place for the schools to open on Monday, June 29. For several more schools to have to be closed for a further week because of contamination is surprising.

“For this to have happened means that the absolute basic risk assessments and requirements to legally and safely disperse water haven’t been followed. That doesn’t even include any of the ‘new’ or ‘additional’ risks that may occur based on the Covid guidelines.

“That some of the schools may have been partially opened as hub schools is a particular concern as staff, and pupils, may have drunk, or washed, in contaminated water.”

Blaenau Gwent council said it has been carrying out routine health and safety checks on all schools before they re-opened this week including testing the water supplies.

A spokesman said: “Test results on three of our schools have indicated a localised contamination within the water supply, which means it cannot be used until chlorination and re-testing has been carried out and is deemed satisfactory.

Councillor Joanne Collins, the council’s executive member for education, said: “Our health and safety and environmental health teams are working closely with all the schools affected to resolve the issues as quickly as possible however this is also reliant on some external factors, such as laboratory testing. We have been in touch with parents via the schools and will continue to communicate with them when we have further updates.”