Fire sprinklers should be fitted to all of Bradford's re-built schools, warn fire chiefs.

Only one of 150 schools involved in the district-wide shake-up is getting one, it has emerged.

But education bosses have protested that the cost of fitting them everywhere would be £10 million - money they don't have.

Acting Director of Education, Phil Green, said: "The Council doesn't have the money to do this. We are also concerned about the potential extra cost of damage caused if sprinkler systems were activated accidentally, or by vandals."

Fire chiefs say sprinkler systems could save millions of pounds - which would cover the cost of having them fitted. Damage in substantial blazes at upper schools, including Carlton Bolling in Bradford and Crawshaw High in Pudsey has run to millions of pounds.

The Assistant Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Fire Service, David Monks, is writing to all councils in West Yorkshire asking for sprinklers to be fitted as standard policy.

Three quarters of the Bradford district's 200 schools are currently being rebuilt and extended as part of the massive shake-up of education. Only at the multi-million Challenge College in Manningham are sprinklers being fitted.

Mr Monks said: "The brigade can't insist on sprinklers in schools, but it is making the strongest possible recommendation on safety grounds.

"The majority of fires in schools are caused deliberately, but thankfully most occur at night or weekends, when no one is on the premises.

"But the potential damage caused at a large high school could run to millions of pounds, and effectively pay for sprinklers in every school in the borough.

"More importantly, the brigade is being called to an increasing number of fires during school hours, when life is clearly at risk."

Richard Hickman, Programme Manager for Bovis Lend Lease, the Council's partner in the school rebuilding programme, said: "We appreciate and share the fire service's concerns and we comply with the current fire safety and prevention regulations which do not require the installation of sprinklers.

"We are satisfied that all refurbishment and new-build schemes included in the programme meet these regulations. Fire officers are consulted when the schemes are submitted for building regulation approval and so far all of them have been passed without sprinklers."