Deadly bug alert for old schools Legionella

By Sam Masters

RUN-DOWN schools must be checked for the dangerous legionella bug, a council has agreed.

Lambeth council plans to spend £237,000 investigating the risk at two primaries, and at its town hall in Brixton Hill.

The warning about the bug, which can lead to legionnaires’ disease – a form of bacterial pneumonia that can prove fatal – was issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which demanded action last year.

The Government safety watchdog highlighted the problem at Glenbrook Primary School in Clarence Avenue, Streatham, on May 10, 2010.

On the same day, an “improvement notice” was issued over safety at Herbert Morrison Primary School in Hartington Road, Stockwell.