Three schools in the West Midlands have been evacuated after receiving a bomb threat.
The Holly Lodge, Oldbury academy and Bristnall Hall in Sandwell received calls between 9am and 9.30am on Tuesday. A fourth school in Dudley, Leasowes high school, was also affected, but police said no bombs or suspicious objects were found on any of the premises.
Following checks by our teams at 4 schools across the region this morning, we can confirm that NO bombs/suspicious objects have been found.
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) January 19, 2016
A spokesman for West Midlands police said: “Detectives are investigating after three Sandwell schools received bomb scare calls this morning. A school in Dudley was also affected.
“Some institutions took the independent decision to evacuate students. All are safe and being cared for as usual by staff.”
The leader of Sandwell council, Darren Cooper, told the BBC: “We’ve had a bomb alert in three Sandwell schools ... we don’t know at this stage where the tip came from.”
Three schools evacuated this morning after receiving bomb scare calls. All children safe, no threat to other schools https://t.co/1yHGbEcohB
— Sandwell Council (@sandwellcouncil) January 19, 2016
There was no suggestion of any threat to other schools in the area, the authority said, adding that the Harry Mitchell Centre in Broomfield, Smethwick, had been opened for children who had to leave school and were not able to get home.
Youth workers have also been deployed in the area to assist any children getting home or to the Harry Mitchell Centre.
Bristnall Hall tweeted:
Secondary schools in local area have been advised by the police to close for today. Children all safely out of the building & on way home
— BristnallHallAcademy (@BHallAcademy) January 19, 2016
Steve, a parent from Oldbury, whose son and daughter attend Oldbury academy, told BBC WM the children were told by their teachers to evacuate. “They did not know what was going on, they had no information off the teachers,” he said. “They were just scared, because they didn’t know exactly what was going on.”
Two Oldbury Academy pupils said pupils and staff were panicking. “A few people were running down the street, running away from the school,” one said. Meanwhile, a pupil at Bristnall Hall said a teacher was shaking as she told pupils to leave.
A police investigation is under way to find the person responsible for the calls. Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101.
