School closes following 'significant' flooding damage

A middle school has had to close following "relentless" rainfall and "unprecedented" flooding.

Gilbert Inglefield Academy for children aged nine to 13, in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, said it was working to assess the damage and explore remote learning options.

On social media, the school, which is for Year 5 to 8, said: "The damage is significant, and the impact on our learning environment is devastating."

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms covering the East of England from 11:00 BST to 20:00 on Wednesday, which also forced the closure of model village in Norfolk and a National Trust estate in Suffolk.

The middle school, which was due to welcome students back on Thursday after the summer holiday, said said it had suffered "extensive flooding".

An emergency closure has been put in place and the school said parents and carers would be informed when it would reopen again.

Elsewhere in Bedfordshire, hours after it reopened, Biggleswade Library was forced to close due to flooding.

At 12:00 the library said it was able to reopen after flood water had been cleared and the affected area cordoned off.

However, hours later it announced it would need to close again.

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On social media, it said: "The weather has not been kind to us and the heavy rain this afternoon has resulted in more flooding... we have had to close the library again.

"The library is likely to be closed for the rest of the day and part of tomorrow while we get things sorted."

Elsewhere in the East of England, attractions have also announced closure due to the weather.

In Suffolk, the National Trust's Ickworth Estate near Bury St Edmunds, said all facilities would be temporarily closed until further notice.

It said on social media that flash flooding had caused "significant" damage, but did not expand on whether the listed house was affected or not.

Throughout Wednesday, the Merrivale Model Village, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was closed due to large areas being flooded and unsafe for visitors to walk round.

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