THE total bill for repairs to Bolton schools damaged by flooding in the Christmas holidays has reached about £100,000.

The borough's education chiefs say they are having to dig deep to find the money from an already stretched budget.

This will mean several schemes earmarked to start in the next few months will have to be shelved.

More than 40 schools throughout Bolton were affected by flooding during the Christmas and New Year break.

The floods were caused by the rapid thaw which followed one of Bolton's coldest spells for years.

Staff at many schools discovered classrooms under inches of water when they opened up after the holiday. Only one school, Brownlow Fold Primary School failed to open in time for the start of the new term and many schools and parents praised the efforts of the council for their sterling work.

Much of the damage to schools was confined to saturated carpets.

Now the local authority is to draw up guidance for schools to ensure a similar situation does not arise again.

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