A RIBBLE Valley school has seen much-needed money for books and teachers go down the drain on repairs to blocked pipes.

St Augustine's RC High School, Billington, has been plagued with blocked drainage pipes and forced to pay out more than £1,000 on repairs.

Headteacher Anthony McNamara said: "We seemed to have had a constant problem with the drains. We have spent money to get them repaired, which could been allocated for books and teachers."

"I think it is because the drains are old. They have been around for a long time and have had a lot of wear and tear."

Drains have been blocked on a regular basis, causing problems of overflowing water from drainage covers, though no damage has been caused to school. The repair bill has been paid out of the school's maintenance budget.

However, Mr McNamara would have preferred this money to have remained untouched and spent on books and teachers at the end of the year.

Although old age is being blamed for the state of the drains, Mr McNamara believes increased pressure on the village system could also have contributed.

He revealed he had been told the pressure was due to more houses and businesses using the system.

This meant other people in the village could possibly have been affected by the problem.

Both Ribble Valley Borough Council and Lancashire County Council said they had not received any complaints from Billington residents about the drains.

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