Pre-school appeals for help after flood ruins classrooms

Houghton and Wyton Preschool devestated by flood (Image: Archant)

A pre-school has had to close its doors after a flood, caused by a faulty sprinkler, ruined books, equipment and furniture.

Children attending Houghton and Wyton Pre-school, in Green Lane, have had to find alternative accommodation after the school was destroyed.

Nikki Hurst, manager of the pre-school, said: “We have had to close indefinitely. These children have been with us since September and we were hoping to spend the last four weeks with them to help them transition into school but we can’t do that properly now.”

The flood was caused by a faulty sprinkler which, on June 19, was believed to have been triggered by the heat inside the building. However, the sprinkler failed to open correctly and pressure built up, causing it to burst.

Houghton and Wyton Preschool devestated by flood (Image: Archant)

“Water came out everywhere into the classroom and the children’s toilet. Our classroom was flooded with water and it has affected most of the building,” Ms Hurst added.

Staff were able to work quickly to save some of the books, equipment and essential information but much has been lost.

“About 500 books were damaged - that’s something we are looking to replace, we lost two computers one which was a children’s computer which was programmable with children’s software,” said Ms Hurst.

“We were just glad to get some of the stuff out even though it was a complete disaster. It looked a mess in there the next day and the carpets were soaked, the ceiling tiles looked like paper mache and the smell was horrible.”

The pre-school is now running stay and play groups at Houghton and Wyton Scout Hut while work is under way to repair and replace what has been damaged.

She said: “Houghton and Wyton Primary School have been really great – they have been 100 per cent behind us.”

“Obviously we still can’t say when we are going to be open, we would like to be open before the summer holidays but it will depend on the contractors and the county council.”

The preschool, which is rented from Cambridgeshire County Council, is now appealing for people to donate books and equipment for when the school reopens.

A spokesman for the county council added: “The circumstances which led to this flooding are currently being investigated, though we would like to reassure parents that it was not caused by a fire.

“During these investigations we will assess any remedial action needed to rectify the situation.”

To donate contact Ms Hurst on 078243 23102.