An arson attack at Philip Morant School in Colchester is the second in a week, it has been revealed.

Staff and pupils at the school in Prettygate, Colchester, were evacuated yesterday as smoke began pouring from ground floor changing rooms shortly after pupils changed for a sports lesson.

By a stroke of luck a firefighter from the brigade's education department was already at the school teaching children about the dangers of fire, when the blaze broke out at 9.40am.

Firefighter Simon Hill grabbed an extinguisher, entered the changing room and fought the blaze which had been started in the year seven pupils' clothing left after they had changed for sport.

Last week a pupil was suspended for setting light to tissue paper in the boys' toilets.

Headteacher Russell Moon, said: "He was caught and suspended from school and spoken to by our community police officer. He has returned to school and has been ruled out of the new investigation."

He said the school takes the matters "very seriously indeed" and will be "making sure everything possible is done to ensure that it can't happen again".

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Published Friday, March 15, 2002