School closed for spider outbreak in Northampton, set to reopen

Duston School in Northampton had to closed on Wednesday because of a suspected outbreak of False Black Widow spiders.

The school was closed to all pupils and staff to allow the situation to be assessed and for the school to be cleaned.

In a message on the school's website, the princial, Mr Strickland wrote, "I cannot apologise enough for the inconvenience that this may cause you, especially in terms of organising child care arrangements."

"However, the health and safety of the school community must come first and foremost,' he added.

Later on Wednesday, an update message revealed that Thursday would see school routines back to normal.

After thanking the community for its, "forbearance and patience" Mr Strickland said he had not taken the decision to close the school lightly.

"The Local Authority, Amey and Ecolab have been on school site today, dealing with the situation at hand," Mr Strickland said.

"They have been in regular contact throughout the day and have assured me that it is safe for the school to re-open tomorrow," he added.