A PRIMARY school has had to close for two days for a "deep clean" after rat droppings were found in classrooms.
St Teresa's PS in west Belfast has been closed temporarily as a precaution due to a "rodent issue", its principal said.
It will undergo a deep clean over the weekend before pupils are allowed back.
A message was sent to the parents of 460-plus children on Wednesday evening - just hours before pupils were due to return after the summer break.
It thought to be the first time a school in the north has been forced to shut in such circumstances.
The school was due to re-open to pupils on Thursday. Staff had gone back earlier to prepare for the new year when droppings were found in some classrooms.
A message on the school's website contained little detail only saying that "due to a serious health and safety issue in the school", and in consultation with the board of governors, Education Authority and Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), "it has been decided to close the school until Monday 5th September".
"We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused," the statement added.
A specialist company was called in on Wednesday and was at the school again yesterday. It is understood that it is not thought to be a major infestation but the affected classrooms, and rooms adjacent to those were closed off.
St Teresa's principal Terry Rodgers said the hope was to open again early next week.
"I can confirm that we have had to close St Teresa's for an additional two days at the start of the new school term due to confirmation we received that the school had a rodent issue," he said in a statement.
"I understand that this is very inconvenient for our pupils, however, I can assure parents that the school is dealing with the problem as swiftly as possible. Once we have carried out a deep clean of the school we hope to be open as normal next week. I will be in touch with parents to keep them up to date."
The Education Authority, which provides services including meals and support staff, and CCMS were both consulted on the decision to close.
A CCMS spokeswoman said: "The school has been liaising with CCMS. We are happy that the school is dealing with the problem and we hope that children will be back on Monday."
