Up to 40 pupils at a school near Oswestry had to be evacuated from their boarding house building after a blaze broke out in a school bathroom.

Staff at Moreton Hall School, in Weston Rhyn, grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the flames after the alarm was raised just after 10.20 last night.

They managed to douse the fire involving a towel rail but the teenagers had to remain out of the building while firefighters checked the blaze had been put out.

Alexandra Hankinson, a spokeswoman for the independent school off the A5, said today up to 40 girls aged 16 and 17 years had to be evacuated from the school building.

She said: “A towel rail caught fire. The house staff used a foam extinguisher to put it out.”

She added: “We have got very clear guidelines in what to do in case of a fire. The house was evacuated, about 40 pupils.

“We have got an estate manager who is second to none. We follow all the protocols making sure the girls know what to do. We had the right procedures in and showed it worked.

“They evacuated quickly and were allowed back in quite quickly too.”

One appliance from Oswestry, one from Chirk, and the incident commander from Shrewsbury was sent to the scene to deal with the fire.

A spokeswoman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said today it was a fire involving an oil-filled radiator in the bathroom.

She added that the blaze was out when firefighters arrived but officers remained at the scene to investigate the incident and ventilate the area.

They had the incident under control just before 11pm when all the students were allowed back into their boarding house.