Councillors and council officers worked into the early hours to secure the town hall after flooding on Carlinghow Hill raised concerns about students being able to safely access the school for results day today (Thursday, 20 August).
The road was closed on Tuesday (18 August) after a water main burst, sending water rushing down Carlinghow Hill.
Yorkshire Water attended the incident, which left some nearby properties with low water pressure or without supplies. Bottled water was also made available to affected residents.
But with GCSE results due to be collected on Thursday morning, attention quickly turned to the impact the ongoing road closure could have on Batley Grammar School students.
Councillor Khuram Amjad said results day was a “massive life event” for young people and there were concerns that the additional traffic and students arriving at the school could cause further congestion around the affected road.
He said: “The flooding was a nightmare. I was there when the pipe burst, and staff from the school were with me.
“Looking ahead to results day, we didn’t want more cars than usual coming through or students walking about, which would make the space more congested than usual.”
With little time to find an alternative, Cllr Amjad said he remained “awake all night” working to find a solution.
Batley Town Hall was eventually secured as an alternative venue with support from council officers, allowing students to collect their results as planned.
Cllr Amjad said: “It’s an absolutely beautiful building and we were incredibly happy to be able to secure the site at the last minute for students with the help of other council officers.”
GCSE results are available for collection from 8am today, with Batley Grammar students able to collect theirs from the town hall.
Yorkshire Water confirmed the burst main had been repaired but said Carlinghow Hill would remain closed while damage to the road was dealt with.
A spokesperson said: “We repaired a burst main yesterday on Carlinghow Hill, which temporarily left some properties with low water pressure or loss of water supply. We understand how inconvenient this is and would like to apologise.
“Unfortunately, the burst has resulted in some consequential damage to the road, and whilst we complete the reinstatement, we’ll need to keep the road closed for everyone’s safety.
“We’ll be working as quickly as we can so that we can return things to normal as soon as possible.”
