A parent has described the 'very alarming threat to life' that was made to his children's Suffolk school, which resulted in his wife having to rush from work to pick them up.

The father, who did not wish to be named, said he received a message at 9am on Thursday saying that a threat had been made to Bawdsey Primary School.

He added: "Then, we were informed by another teacher that 'no, it was actually a threat to life'.

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"My wife and I work miles away from the school. She rushed over in her car, along with lots of other parents, worried about what might be happening."

They were then told that the schoolchildren were being evacuated to the village hall.

"It all sounded quite serious. And while we know some sort of threat has been made, we don't actually know what has happened."

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The school's headteacher Katie Butler has subsequently said that the school had received a 'suspect email'.

The parent added: "Well, I tell you what, I won't be bringing my kids in. It's not worth it for one day and we still don't know what's gone on properly.

"For all we know they could be trying to sweep this all under the rug."

However, Katie said: "We received a suspect email earlier today and immediately notified the police.

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"The safety of our students is our utmost priority and we evacuated the building as a precautionary measure.

"Our children were taken to a safe place and collected by their parents and carers.
 
"We continue to work closely with the police and were commended for our swift actions and robust procedures to ensure our pupils' and staff safety."

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Police officers attended the school and confirmed the incident was a hoax.

Acting Inspector Ian Davies said: “The school chose to evacuate as a precaution and officers attended to check the premises and grounds.

"We were there to ensure public safety and provide reassurance to the school and local community. At this time it is believed these communications amount to a hoax.”

READ MORE: Suffolk news