Eton College forced to close after sewer flood as £50k-a-year school delays term

10 January 2024 , 22:59

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Eton College, in Berkshire, where more than 1,000 wealthy schoolboys were due to return to classes today (Image: PA)

Pupils at Eton College have been told to stay at home as the new term gets underway because of sewerage issues at the elite boarding school.

Pupils were due to return to class on Tuesday but an overloaded local sewer system has forced the private boys' school to move to remote learning. The delayed start of term at the school in Berkshire comes as nearly 100 flood warnings remain in place in England following last week's Storm Henk deluge. Thames Water has apologised to staff and pupils at Eton College.

Eton College is one of the UK's most prestigious schools and its alumni included many former prime ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Cameron. A spokesperson for the college said: "Following extensive flooding in the region, the Thames Water sewers which serve the town of Eton flooded.

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"Therefore, boys could not return for the scheduled start of term on January 9 and the college has moved to remote teaching. We are in regular contact with Thames Water as they seek to resolve the situation and we look forward to welcoming boys back as soon as possible."

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In another message sent earlier to parents, mums and dads were told to keep their kids away from the area. They said: "I am very sorry to say that Thames Water have just alerted us to the fact that their sewerage drains are back filling due to flood water. The sewers in the centre of Eton won't cope with the arrival of nearly 1,350 boys."

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "Our engineers are responding to reported sewerage issues at Eton College, Windsor. In this instance, the recent heavy rainfall, along with high groundwater levels and river flooding, caused our local sewer system to overload. We are sorry to staff and students who have been impacted. Our teams will be carrying out a clean-up in the coming days once the river levels recede."

Ryan Fahey