A SCHOOL has been forced to close its doors to most of its pupils because of subsidence.

Structural problems were discovered at Dodmire Junior School, in Rydal Road, Darlington, when borough council workers checked the building for fox holes.

They found that foxes had been burrowing beneath the building, but discovered an unrelated problem with the school foundations.

Work to repair the subsidence is taking place this week and the majority of pupils have been told to stay at home until next Tuesday.

Only year six pupils are still in school, in a separate part of the building, because they have to sit examinations.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said: "There was no danger to the kids or anything like that and foxes haven't been burrowing away making the school unstable.

"While they were looking for fox holes they noticed something was wrong. Remedial work is being done but will only take a week."