FIRE chiefs calling for sprinkler systems in every school across Lancashire following a massive classrooms blaze in Hoghton have been told it would cost up to £45million.

Brindle Gregson Lane Primary School was burned down in May in a night-time attack. Two boys, aged 13 and 14, have been charged with arson.

Now, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service experts have revealed there were 576 school fires in the county between 1992 and 2000, costing more than £5million.

Of this, arson attacks cost £4.7million. The fire at Brindle Gregson will hoist this figure by a further £2million.

Members of the county's Education and Young People's Executive Committee were told the fire service was now encouraging the installation of sprinkler systems in schools across Lancashire.

State-of-the-art sprinklers will be installed in new schools in a bid to curb the multi-million pound cost of arson attacks.

The improvements will start with a pilot project at the newly- built Brindle Gregson school.

But Lancashire County Council leader Hazel Harding said the massive cost of extra sprinkler systems would have to be seriously considered.

Fire chiefs told education councillors: "The potential for a reduction in the cost of fires in schools is real and achievable.

"If resources can be made available to install sprinkler systems in schools, the pattern of year-on-year unacceptable losses can be broken, as they do combat the arsonist and accidental fires."

But when officers of the Buildings and Development Team and Property Group investigated they found it would cost between £30million and £45million to put the sprinklers into every school.

Councillors decided to back the setting up of a working party, including the education, financial and property sectors and fire authority representatives, to recommend a fire safety strategy for schools.