School evacuated after city workers rupture gas pipe

By LAURA CUMMINGS
Published on 19/08/2012 12:00

COUNCIL workers sparked a gas leak scare and caused more than 100 pupils to be evacuated from a city primary school after hitting an underground pipe while repairing slabs in the playground.

Around 150 pupils were forced to leave Colinton Primary School at around 11am yesterday and taken to nearby Oxgangs Primary as a 
precaution.

Parents were informed via text message, local radio, the council website and Twitter, and asked to pick their children up from Oxgangs at lunchtime.

Council workers had been using hand tools to carry out minor repairs broken pavement slabs in the playground when the alarm was raised. Nobody was injured in the incident.

The city council said the situation had been resolved and the site declared safe by around 2.15pm, adding that the school would reopen on Monday.

However, Colinton/Fairmilehead councillor, Jason Rust, said the situation was “very concerning” and called for a full inquiry.

He added: “This is obviously a worry for the school community and unsettling coming right at the start of the new term.

“There clearly needs to be an inquiry as to how this has come about because it’s concerning anywhere, but particularly in a school, that we would have a situation like this occurring.

“Obviously there are lessons which will need to be learned for the future. It’s very 
concerning.”

A spokeswoman for the city council said: “Following a gas leak at Colinton Primary School yesterday morning, the building was temporarily evacuated as a precaution. Pupils were moved a short distance to Oxgangs Primary School where they were collected as normal by their parents and carers.

“Scottish Gas Networks have confirmed that the site is now safe and the school will reopen as normal on Monday.

“We understand the leak was caused by minor works to a footpath outside the school.”