PRIMARY pupils who have been stuck using temporary Portakabins because of the collapse of construction giant Carillion took their plight to the top.

The three youngsters from Fir Tree Junior School in Wallingford yesterday presented a petition to the education authority Oxfordshire County Council demanding action.

Children at the school have now been stuck in the noisy and uncomfortable temporary classrooms for six months.

Building works on their proper classrooms were brought to a halt in January when Carillion, which was doing the work for the county council, went into liquidation.

Two classrooms are unusable because of the incomplete building works and two more are only safe to use because they are supported by scaffolding.

Now the pupils and teachers have no idea how long they will have to wait to get back to normal.

Since February both the Portakabin toilets have had to be shut, and with Year 6 SATS exams approaching, parents and children fear the insalubrious surroundings will have a negative impact on results.

Pupil Will Eaton explained to councillors at County Hall in Oxford yesterday: "Some of our classrooms are being held up by scaffolding and only four of the eight classrooms are properly safe."

Jessica Titchener added: "The toilets are out of order and the Portakabins are noisy – especially when it rains."

Maia Bridgeman Hughes pleaded with the council: "The whole school has signed this petition because we are worried about what’s happening at our school.

"We have our SATS coming up and we just want to have a safe place in which to learn."

Wallingford councillor Lynda Atkins, who went with the children, said the Portakabins were 'not adequate'.

Councillor Lorraine Lindsey-Gale thanked the children for coming to speak about their 'awful situation'.

She said the council was now trying to find the funds to finish those works and other unfinished projects around the county.