SEVERELY-disabled school-children had a frightening experience when a power cut hit Huddersfield.

Rooms and corridors were plunged into darkness, equipment including hoists stopped working and alarms rang out when the electricity supply failed at Castle Hill School in Newsome Road South just after 2pm yesterday.

In all, more than 2,300 properties in Newsome, Lockwood and Primrose Hill lost power when a fault developed on an underground 11kv cable on the high voltage network.

For the first time since Castle Hill School opened in 2006, staff and volunteers had to implement the emergency evacuation procedure.

The 106 pupils all have severe or profound learning difficulties. Many also have complex medical needs and are in wheelchairs, and over two dozen have to be fed through gastronomy tubes in their stomachs.

All lifts were out of action, so the children had to be evacuated via a second-floor exit at the back of the purpose-built school. It was the first time it had ever been used.

Some student volunteers from Greenhead College, who were in school at the time, also helped with the evacuation.

All pupils were reassured that they were safe before being allowed home.

Headteacher Gill Robinson, the senior leadership team and caretakers waited in the cold outside the school until power was restored just before 3.15pm. At that point, the sound of alarms could be heard ringing throughout Newsome.

Mrs Robinson said: “It was quite scary for some of our children, as the school is quite dark in some areas, despite the emergency lighting.

“It must have been quite a shock for some pupils until staff were able to reassure them all that they were quite safe.

“We had to put our emergency evacuation plans into operation. It worked extremely well because staff are really well practiced.

“We also had the help of our caretakers and a lot of volunteers. There was no panic, everyone waited for instructions.

“It is reassuring that our emergency plans worked so well and everything is fine.”

A spokesman for Northern Power Grid said that power was restored at around 3.10pm after control room staff in Leeds re-routed the high voltage supply.

Last night engineers were still searching for the fault, believed to be underground somewhere between Newsome Mill and Newsome village centre.

However, no further interruptions to the electricity supply were anticipated.