SPRINKLER systems have not been included in the plans for three privately financed York schools - leaving them at increased risk of going up in smoke, a senior firefighter has warned.

Former city councillor Mick Brighton, who works as North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service's arson task force manager, said it was "crazy" there were no plans to put sprinklers in the schools.

The building costs are about £14.5 million, but the scheme's cost will reach at least £25m over the deal, which will last for between 25 and 30 years.

Mr Brighton said it was inevitable that every school in York would suffer a serious fire at some time in its existence.

Mr Brighton said: "It is prudence. Do you want to spend a few thousand pounds and lose a classroom, but keep the school open, or lose the whole school? There may be an insurance payout, but uninsured losses, such as cost of teaching children elsewhere and the loss of resources, can run into millions."

Fire service analysis showed that 32 York schools suffered 83 fires between them in 2002 and 2003 - an average of more than three school fires every month.

Plans are at an advanced stage for the three new schools, to be built using private finance initiative, or PFI, cash.

They will be St Oswald's, in Heslington Lane, Hob Moor, Acomb, and St Barnabas, in Leeman Road.

Hull-based The Sewell Group beat off stiff opposition to become the council's preferred PFI bidder.

Mr Brighton said the cost of a sprinkler system varied according to the school, but a system could be fitted for £80,000 and annual maintenance costs of about £3,000.

City of York Council executive member for education Carol Runciman said: "I am sure fire safety will have been considered when the designs were drawn up.

"There is very good security planned for the sites and building to keep risk to a minimum. The Department for Education and Skills advice is not to install sprinklers and we have taken that advice."

Graham Atkins, development director for Sewell PFI, said: "We are currently unaware that these issues have been raised.

"There is a formal consultation currently going on with relevant groups, such as the police and fire brigade, so why have they not raised this as part of that consultation?"

Building regulator Paul Moore, of Goole-based Morgan Wolff, said North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service had been consulted twice on the schools and had never raised the issue of sprinklers.

But Mr Brighton said "No legislation exists to say sprinklers should be fitted. We may have been consulted, but all we can say is whether a building complies with the law.

"We cannot tell them what should or should not be in it."

In recent years, both Park Grove and Kingsway schools in York were devastated by fires - both did noy have sprinkler systems installed.

Updated: 10:38 Monday, March 29, 2004