Earthquake damage closes school

Nearly 1,000 pupils in Kent have had the day off after Saturday's earthquake left school buildings cracked and ceilings in need of inspection.The Harvey Grammar School, in Cheriton Road, Folkestone, had to be closed to allow a safety assessment to be carried out, but will reopen on Tuesday.Shepway District Council said it had received more than 1,000 reports of damage to properties in the town.Most have minor damage, but 40 are too dangerous for families to return to.Five of the families are being put up in hotels, with the rest staying with friends and family.The 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck at 0819 BST on Saturday, with the epicentre 7.5 miles (12km) into the English Channel off the coast of Dover. The damage to the Harvey Grammar School was discovered during an inspection on Sunday.Head teacher Keith Rivers said: "Some brickwork is displaced and there are some cracks in the gabling that are quite large and are going to need repairing."Three classrooms have some damage, and the ceiling is slightly lower than it should be in one room."Many of the unsafe properties in the town have loose chimney stacks, tiles and masonry.Shepway District Council said it had received 1,100 calls to a structural damage helpline by Monday afternoon.

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