A SCHOOL was closed and is to be deep cleaned this weekend after "slightly elevated" levels of Legionella bacteria were found during routine water checks.

Students at Lockyer's Middle School in Corfe Mullen were sent home on Thursday afternoon, and the school remained closed yesterday.

A full chemical disinfection is to be carried out today and tomorrow and officials plan to reopen the school on Monday.

The school has around 450 pupils aged between nine and 13 on its rolls.

Dorset County Council's head of property management, Mike Harries, said: "Routine testing for the presence of Legionella bacteria in Dorset County Council premises has identified slightly elevated levels at Lockyers Middle School.

"We have put appropriate control measures in place. Letters were sent to all parents informing them about the situation."

Mr Harries said there was "little opportunity" for the bacteria to spread, adding: "Cases of Legionella in children are extremely rare and, while we will closely monitor the situation, the health risk to pupils at Lockyers is very low.

"A review of control measures at the school is underway as part of the council's water hygiene standards."

Dr Sue Bennett, director of Dorset and Somerset health protection unit, said shutting Lockyers School was "purely a precautionary measure".

She said Legionella, a water-borne bug, only really presents a risk to certain groups of people, the elderly, particularly men, and smokers, which can lead to a form of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease.

"Across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole, we only have about six cases of that each year and about half of those are actually abroad," she said.

"It's a disease of adults so there is no risk to children - the school has been closed to protect the staff.

"Finding these bugs in water systems is quite common but the council are doing the right thing."