Radioactivity scare closes school

ONE of the smallest schools on the Scottish mainland is to be closed because of a radon gas scare.

Moray Council yesterday announced that the authority had taken the decision to temporarily close remote Cabrach Primary School on Speyside after tests revealed a higher than average level of the potentially deadly gas in the building.

The four pupils at the school and the members of staff are to be transferred to Mortlach School in Dufftown, six miles away, until remedial work can be carried out.

Radon is a naturally occurring, low-level radioactive gas which has been linked to lung cancer following long-term exposure. A study by the National Radiological Protection Board revealed that parts of the North-east of Scotland have the highest average radon readings in the country.

A spokesman for the council said: "Moray Council initiated tests at Cabrach Primary after a geological mapping exercise by the Health Protection Agency identified the Cabrach as an area with the potential for higher than normal levels of radon."

Staff and parents of pupils at Cabrach Primary have been informed of developments.