SEDBERGH School's head teacher has reassured people there is no threat from overseas pupils returning to the town amid growing fears about the dangerous SARS virus.

Christopher Hirst has written an open letter, saying the school's actions had exceeded national requirements to thwart Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, reports Michaela Robinson-Tate.

One taxi firm has refused to collect pupils returning to the public school after the Easter break because of fears they could bring SARS into the Dales community.

One of the owners of Woofs, of Sedbergh, said: "We did not pick them up this time. We normally do but we refused. We did not want to be the ones to bring it into Sedbergh."

The firm would often bring one or two fares from the train station, said Mrs Woof, who declined to give her first name.

School marketing director Paul Wallace-Woodroffe said there had been some panic in the town about the virus, which has claimed more than 200 lives and infected thousands of people world-wide.

The school has just ten pupils from Hong Kong, and only six went home for the holidays. They all spent ten days in quarantine before returning to Sedbergh.

"What we are coming across is a situation where some of them are being slightly frosted out'," he said, adding they hoped pupils would be welcomed back.

Although Government guidance that students should go into quarantine was subsequently toned down, other schools adopted a similar approach to Sedbergh.

Casterton School head Tony Thomas said 30 pupils from Hong Kong, China and Singapore returned to the UK early and spent ten days in quarantine away from the school. Most were able to start term on time.

Sixteen Windermere St Anne's pupils who went home to Hong Kong for the holidays also returned early and spent their quarantine period at the school.

l Around 50 people are expected back at the Manjushri Buddhist Centre at Conishead Priory, near Ulverston, after attending the Toronto International Kadampa Dharma Festival. A spokesperson said they were aware of the

risks from SARS in Toronto, which has been declared a "no-go"

zone for non-essential travel by the World Health Organisation, and were taking the necessary precautions.

April 25, 2003 09:31