AN Ellesmere Port high school which was found to have crumbly concrete in it is to be part of the Government's School Rebuilding Programme.

The Government has confirmed Ellesmere Port Catholic High was one of 234 education settings in England to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) present.

Raac was traditionally used as a cheaper alternative to standard concrete for buildings between the 1950s and 1990s, and was said to have a lifespan of about 50 years. It was also used in the construction of the Countess of Chester Hospital's Women and Children's Building.

But after a beam collapsed in a school without warning in 2018, concerns grew and the Department of Education last year gathered information on which buildings in England had been affected.

Ellesmere Port Catholic High is the only one in Cheshire West and Chester Council where Raac is knowingly present.

The school will now be rebuilt or refurbished as part of the Government's plans to remove all traces of Raac from education buildings.

The Government officially announced the school was deemed eligible to be added to the list of schools to have one or more blocks rebuilt or refurbished.

After Raac was identified at the Countess hospital building, plans were made and approved to build a replacement Women and Children's Building, with construction work currently well under way for a target opening of summer 2025.