ANDOVER police are investigating an arson attack at John Hanson Community School on Monday evening.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze in the Floral Way school's IT suite at 5.20pm when an automatic fire alarm was activated.

Around £25,000 worth of damage was caused to furniture and computer equipment in the first-floor computer room and an adjoining room has suffered smoke damage.

The attack happened just days after the £14.5 million school's formal opening ceremony and it is due to the design of the purpose-built facility that the blaze was prevented from spreading throughout the building.

Headteacher Steve Evatt said: "I was shocked that one room in our new building has been affected by a fire, only five days after our formal opening ceremony.

"Fortunately our fire detection system worked effectively and the fire service was on the scene soon afterwards.

"Although serious damage was done to the computer suite, estimated at many thousands of pounds, the measures taken by Hampshire County Council's architect and the building contractors to ensure that fires are properly contained through the use of fire doors and flame resistant materials worked very effectively. All adjoining rooms were undamaged."

He added: "Although staff and pupils are dismayed by the fire, the school is open and functioning normally, the one exception being those pupils with ICT lessons who are having their lessons in another room.

"Hampshire County Council has been extremely prompt in sending a team out to assess the damage and start a clean- up and repair operation."

Fire crews from Andover and Whitchurch put the fire out within 90 minutes and investigators have said the cause of the fire was 'deliberate ignition'.

Police are now carrying out further investigations.