Pupils were due to return to school on Thursday, July 4, after a leaking roof forced the closure of their classrooms.

Staff arrived at Faringdon Infants School on July 3 to find that heavy rain had leaked into the building, soaking carpets.

The school was also left without electricity.

About 250 children were turned away before they reached the school gates.

Staff were posted throughout the town so that parents taking their children to school were warned before they reached the building.

The school is being extended to create a new classroom and reception area.

Headteacher Maggie Smith said: "The builders have been joining the new extension to the existing flat roof.

"They had to take the felt off the existing roof, but unfortunately we had a night of heavy rain. It's just a mini-blip and we will be re-routing the children to avoid the corridor and library area where most of the damage is."

The nursery school was unaffected by the damage and remained open.

Chris Powell, project manager for the Unilock Group, which is building the extension, said: "We did all we could to protect the building from the extreme weather conditions.

"But with all the wind and heavy rain we have had, water did manage to get in. It was one of those things that just couldn't be avoided.

"The matter has been sorted out quite amicably."

The leak would not delay the extension programme, he added.

A Met Office spokesman said around three quarters of an inch of water fell across some areas of the county last night, but this was "not exceptional" rainfall for this time of year.