An infestation of rats has closed a primary school near Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.
St Mary's National School in Aughamore closed its doors to pupils and teachers yesterday, and its board of management said it would remain closed this week to try to eradicate the serious rat problem.
According to the principal, Ms Ann Marie Stenson, the school building is over a century old. "There is an ongoing campaign underway for the past seven years locally to have a new school built for the 76 pupils now on roll here.
"Delegations of parents, teachers, board of management representatives have met Minister Michael Woods about the urgent need for his Department to sanction a new school immediately, but so far all our efforts have fallen on deaf ears.
"The recent rat infestation is only one of a number of serious problems with the building." "Last year dangerous levels of radon gas emissions in the school building were detected. We have four times the acceptable level of radon gas. Fans were installed to eliminate the gas problem and it is now thought the work in dealing with the radon emissions has triggered the rat invasion."
She said parents have had to come to remove dead rats from under floorboards and behind skirting boards in recent days.
Ms Deirdre Dooley, a parents' representative, said a new school building was needed urgently.
"The experts were brought in to deal with the rats weeks ago, but the school is now closed to finally lay maximum bait and to fumigate the building." There have also been plumbing problems in the school. "The sewage getting backed up is a regular occurrence," Ms Dooley said.
A local Fine Gael TD, Mr Jim Higgins, is to raise the crisis at the school in the Dáil this week. "St. Mary's National School is 101 years old. . . I have been shown graphic evidence of the infestation problem with large holes eaten into the floorboards by rats. "