A serious fire that devastated a Fife secondary school has already incurred costs of more than £800,000.
Cleaning up damage at Woodmill High in Dunfermline, along with the cost of providing alternative accommodation and transport for 1,400 pupils and staff, are included in the hefty bill faced by cash-strapped Fife Council.
The demolition of sections of the building which were beyond being salvaged is also counted, with security costs alone reaching almost £60,000.
The estimated £830,000 only covers the period between September and Christmas, and the final bill is expected to be much higher.
A high portion of the costs will be met by insurers, but the council is required to pay a policy excess which will mean £250,000 coming from the public purse.
A 14-year-old boy appeared in court in connection with the blaze that engulfed Woodmill on August 25.
Two firefighters required hospital treatment and the destruction left pupils and staff “utterly devastated”.
Youngsters had to be bussed to accommodation at various west Fife buildings in order to continue their education.
S3 to S5 pupils have now returned to their old school, using a section of the original building and temporary classrooms, but the entire roll will not be brought together until August.
The costs incurred were revealed by Fife Council in response to a Freedom of Information request.
In its response the authority said: “Woodmill High School is a complex loss involving a considerable amount of work in terms of reinstating the building and interim recovery arrangements.
“Insurance claims of this nature take a considerable period of time to negotiate and conclude.”
It added: “Because of the scale of the work involved in the school’s recovery and reinstatement, a phased approach has been undertaken and the insurance claim is being dealt with on that basis.
“The insurance claim will include damage to the building, contents and the additional expenses incurred as a result of recovery arrangements such as alternative accommodation, additional pupil transport and staff costs.”
The authority’s insurance company made an interim payment of £750,000 in anticipation of the council’s outlays and further payments are expected once the council spends more than £1 million.
