FIVE school sports halls across Hampshire have been closed amid safety fears.

Surveyors are investigating the same type of overhead heating system at each of the buildings because of worries that they might fall on to children below.

The problem, thought to be with the installation of the systems, first surfaced at Test Valley School in Stockbridge. Now four other school halls have been closed temporarily while experts carry out checks.

One of them is the plush gymnastics facility at Hamble Community Sports Complex, which was only officially opened last December.

Built alongside Hamble Community Sports College on the campus at Satchell Lane, the £1,107,600 state-of-the-art facility - which ranks alongside the best in the country - was secured with the help of a Sport England lottery award of more than £750,000.

It is used by about 500 youngsters who train with the Dynamo gymnastics club.

Club bosses have been forced to put up a sign in the reception area of the sports complex saying: "We are closed as a precautionary measure. Architectural design faults have been discovered in another venue. We are closed until the problem has been investigated. We hope to reopen as usual on week beginning April 1. Apologies for the inconvenience caused."

Dynamo coach Keith Richardson told the Daily Echo that the Hamble gym had been closed since last Thursday.

He said: "We don't know much about it. We have been asked to shut down until the problem is looked at."

Mr Richardson said the closure had been "quite inconvenient" but that safety was paramount.

Surveyors were on site at Hamble yesterday and were due to return today.

Hampshire County Council has not named the other three schools at the centre of the safety scare.

Its director of property services, Andrew Smith, said: "Last week we were alerted to a problem with the security of a cover panel associated with an overhead radiant heating system installed in a sports hall at Test Valley School.

"These panels are 'clipped' on to the heating pipes and rely on correct installation to hold them in place. As a result of this we are now checking another four halls with similar systems, including Hamble Community Sports College.

"As a precautionary measure all schools with this specific system have been advised of the potential problem and inspections are being arranged.

"The issue would appear to be one of incorrect installation and this is being further investigated with the manufacturers and installers."

A county council spokesman added: "Hopefully we will have the problem solved as soon as possible."