Schools reopen after freeze

There were no kitchen facilities at the schools

Three Carmarthenshire schools which were forced to close for two days at the start of the new term because of frozen pipes have reopened.

More than 400 pupils at Ammanford junior and nursery schools and Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman were told to stay at home on Monday and Tuesday.

The heating and water is back on, the kitchen can be used and the pipes have defrosted

John Williams, Ammanford Junior School

Staff returned to the schools on Monday - the first day back after the Christmas holiday - to find the frozen pipes.

The plumbing problems meant there were no kitchen facilities, no hot water, heating or toilets at the three sites.

A spokeswoman for Carmarthenshire council said that engineers had had to wait until the pipes defrosted so they could assess the damage.

But John Williams, headteacher at Ammanford Junior School, said that the schools were now back in business.

"Repairs have been carried out and the problems have been sorted out," he said.

"The heating and water is back on, the kitchen can be used and the pipes have defrosted," he added.

Unfortunate start

The junior school has 269 pupils, the Welsh-language school around 120 pupils, and the nursery school has more than 80 youngsters.

On Monday, Ammanford Nursery School's headteacher Irene Jones said they had no choice but to send the pupils home.

"It is an unfortunate start to the New Year but without any heating or water we could not keep the children here," she said.

Carmarthenshire County Council kept parents informed about the situation with updates on its website.