Three teenage boys arrested after primary school fire

Emergency services were called to Ivy Lane Primary, near the town centre, on Monday lunchtime. 

 

Police believe someone set fire to a bush near the main road but it spread to a school building, destroying the roof. 

 

Three teenage boys - one aged 14 and two aged 15 - have been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. One of the 15-year-olds has been released and no further action will be taken, while the other two boys have been released on bail. 

 

Detective Sergeant Adam Fleetwood-Brown said: "We are treating this incident as arson with intent to endanger life and we are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed a group of teenagers in the vicinity of Ivy Lane Primary School at lunch time yesterday. We believe they ran off along the alleyway near to Providence Terrace following the incident. I'd like to take this opportunity to urge parents to be mindful of their children’s whereabouts during the school holidays. I know that the majority of young children will be enjoying their Easter break safely and would never consider behaving in such a mindless way - I do not want the recklessness of a small group of individuals to ruin things for others." 

 

He added: "It is incredibly fortunate that nobody was hurt during this incident as there were children at the school at the time taking part in a holiday club – luckily they were all evacuated quickly and safely. The damage caused to the roof of the building is substantial and will be costly and inconvenient to repair. The school is located in a busy area of the town, and I would urge anyone who was in the area at the time, including any drivers with dash cam footage, to please get in touch."

 

Anyone with any information about this fire is being asked to phone police on 101 and quote log number 118 of April 15th or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

 

A Just Giving page has been set up to raise money to help rebuild the hall at Ivy Lane Primary.