Children at a Colchester primary school have been sent home for a second time after further problems with fumes from building work.

About 90 children in the reception and year one classes have been sent home and told not to return to St James primary School, in Guildford Road, until Monday.

The fumes - which are said not to be toxic - come from re-roofing work on the key stage one area of the school.

A month ago similar problems caused pupils to be sent home for two days, but the incidents are said to be unrelated.

A school statement said: "The governors of St James C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School were very pleased to receive financial approval from the DFEE to re-roof the key stage one area of the school before existing funding arrangements ceased at the end of March 2000.

"As the work has progressed we have encountered unexpected problems with fumes from the work.

"Alternative strategies continue to be employed in order to combat this problem.

"It is with some reluctance the decision has been taken to close the school to the reception and year one children until the end of the week," it read.

Chairman of governors Father Peter Walker said the current situation was inconvenient and children had been sent home as a precautionary measure.

He said the re-roofing work was taking place on a five-unit block, and the problem only affected a localised area.

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