Solar panels blamed for spate of fires on school roofs across the country, prompting calls for urgent safety checks

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 22:12, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 22:12, 13 July 2026 Solar panels have sparked a spate of fires on school roofs, raising fears over Ed Miliband's plan to install hundreds more. Concerned town hall officials have switched off 80 of the systems on classrooms across Suffolk after three separate blazes in less than a year. Another 81 solar panels were also disconnected in Northumberland after a fire in a primary school last summer. Similar incidents also took place at schools in Shropshire and Nottinghamshire in 2025, and in London the previous year. In the meantime, however, Mr Miliband's Great British Energy quango has paid for the renewable energy sources to be installed on 250 more schools and colleges around England. On Monday Reform UK Deputy leader Richard Tice said: 'This is yet another example of why the Government's mad rush to meet net zero must never come at the expense of common sense. 'If Ed Miliband insists on rolling out solar panels across hundreds more schools, parents deserve reassurance that rigorous safety checks have been carried out. This cannot happen again.' Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'From asbestos to RAAC, school leaders know only too well the dangers that can be caused when unsuitable materials or practices are used in the construction of buildings.  Suffolk County Council shared pics of crews battling a solar panel blaze at Sidegate Primary School 'Nobody should have cause to feel unsafe at school, and we would welcome more work being done to establish the cause of these fires and ensure no pupils or staff are being put at risk.' The most recent fire broke out at Sidegate Lane Primary School in Ipswich on June 24th and the building was evacuated after a staff member smelled smoke. The fire brigade said that a full investigation was not required 'as it has been confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the cause was a solar panel on the roof'. It came after a fire on the roof of Brooklands Primary School in nearby Brantham at the start of the Easter holidays, and another at East Bergholt Primary School last August, which were also blamed on solar panels. Soon afterwards Suffolk County Council announced that it was temporarily switching off all systems installed in schools between 2011 and 2016. The Eastern Region of the National Education Union (NEU) said it had been raising concerns 'for months' and had 'grave concerns' for teachers and pupils. Its Suffolk joint branch secretary Wendy James said it was 'deeply troubling that no decisive action was taken until after a third fire occurred in a fully occupied school'. She added: 'While we welcome the local authority's decision to now disconnect affected solar panels, this is a reactive measure that should have been undertaken much sooner.' Similarly the authorities in Northumberland had been aware of fire safety concerns linked to solar panels long before a fire at Shanklea Primary School in Cramlington last July. In response Northumberland County Council switched off similar systems installed before 2019 on many of its buildings as a precaution, including 81 schools. A spokesman for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said: 'Fire and rescue services take any emerging fire risk seriously, and as the use of technologies such as solar panels continues to grow, it is important they are installed, maintained and managed safely.' However Mr Miliband's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) insisted that none of the schools affected had solar panels installed as part of the recent Great British Energy programme. A spokesman said: 'The risk of fire from solar panels is very low – much lower than household appliances such as cookers. 'Safety is our top priority and we work closely with industry to ensure solar panels meet the highest standards.' Experts have said the fires are most likely to be caused by problems with cables or the units that connect the glass panels to the electricity network.