GAS leakage forced a disabled school in Kingsbury to close down, when builders failed to spot its location.
Workmen mistakenly broke an underground water pipe connecting to Hay Lane Special Needs School, whilst building a new sixth form for the disadvantaged last Wednesday afternoon.
This affected the running of hot water not being available, an essential need for the school which caters for mental and physically impaired children between the ages of 4yrs to 18yrs.
Staff raised the alarm when they smelt gas in the corridors of the fifty-room building and notified the head teacher promptly who took immediate action by informing the builders to switch the gas mains off.
Headmistress Jenny Drake, 50, said: “Once the water supplies had stopped, I realised it must have been caused by the builders. Fortunately no-one was affected by the gas”.
Builders had been working for four months constructing a sixth form college joining Hay Lane Special Needs and neighbouring Grove Park School, on a massive field located behind the two disabled institutions.
They initially tried to locate the gas leak but it was impossible and decided after two days to renew the damaged pipes as the only appropriate solution.
Construction deputy manager Rob Reeson, 36, from Kenton said: “Usually it’s common that pipes burst on a building site. We always try to be safe and in this case we made a small blunder”.
Builders say a further two week’s work on the pipes is needed until the students can safely return to resume everyday activities.
Classroom assistant Jackie Smith, 28, from Kenton said: “Our main priority is the safety of the children and they were not at risk”.
The recent development of the new college is funded by Brent Council and is expected to be completed by the end of May 2008.
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Self-reflective Report: Gas Leak 2
I discovered this story through an acquaintance employed at the school, and considered the dangerous implications within the content gave me the opportunity to create an article.
Initially I found difficulties trying to comprehend the matter, as various sources indicated contrasting opinions without a definite account of what essentially happened. Because of different information gathered, the original structure of the story proved to be confusing and awkward.
After a few overwritten drafts, which were trimmed down to a suitable length containing only the relevant content needed, the material became easier to understand. Trying to assemble information together was a complicated method, as details about the pipe work were given largely in depth, which would have been pointless for readers to grasp. I chose to keep the vocabulary simplistic in order for it to adhere to the style of a local newspaper format.
By contacting one of the welfare staff at the school by phone, I discussed further accounts of the story regarding any vital missing facts needed, such as on the students. At first she was apprehensive and reluctant to provide any information, as she considered this may give a negative reputation of the staff’s conduct at the school. By reassuring her that the story highlighted a positive description of the school’s performance, in an unpredictable situation, she became responsive to questions, which allowed reporting to be more manageable.
Conversing with the builders was a hard task to undertake, as most of them were reluctant to answer any questions. Because of the dangerous working site, this also prevented me to communicate with them. I had to be more assertive and fortunately managed to grab hold of the deputy on his lunch break. He was more co-operative than the others, as he wanted to clear any misleading matters concerning their conduct.
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