More than 200 children were evacuated from a school yesterday after a fire broke out in its entrance hall.

Crews were called to Lowercroft Primary School, which has 245 pupils, after a problem with the light fittings in the main foyer of the school.

The entrance and the main hall were smoke logged.

Firefighters from Hindley, Bury and Farnworth spent an hour tackling the blaze at the school in Ashington Drive.

The fire broke out just before 2.10pm and all pupils were evacuated and taken home by parents. There were no reports of any injuries.

Crews used four breathing apparatus, one hose reel, specialist tools and a ventilation fan to extinguish the fire.

Watch Manager Tonly Wilson said: "I did make a point of praising the school for the way the building was evacuated. The fire marshall was there taking a register and everyone was accounted for."

Headteacher Tessa Townsend was in the office next to the entrance hall when the lights went out.

She said: “We look out of the door and saw a fire in the ceiling and it was raining down on to the carpet.

“Straight away we followed procedure and made sure everyone was out and informed parents.”

Chairman of governors Kirsty Peace added: “It was a phenomenal team effort yesterday. I got there 20 minutes after getting a call about the fire and got a quick update.

“All the children were brilliantly behaved and lined up outside with members of staff. The team of teachers and teaching assistants worked together to make sure everyone was safe.

“It was the first week of term and they had had no practice so it was remarkable how well they worked together.”

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault and the school has been reopened today.