A councillor have voiced his dismay over utility work outside multiple schools in Kidderminster.
County Councillor Anthony Upton said the decision to have two and possibly three-way lights along Habberley Road directly near Baxter College was "simply ridiculous" as schools head back after the summer holidays.
There is a valid permit in place for the work, which is being completed by National Grid, until early October.
Councillor Anthony Upton, for St Barnabas division in Kidderminster, said: "This is simply ridiculous. Three large schools along a main route that feeds these schools will be single line with multi-way signals and restricted footpaths for the next five weeks.
"I have received no indication of this except for when the work started in July and Trimpley Road was closed, and this is one of the problems, as with no communication, this cannot be questioned. School cannot be prepared and school staff cannot inform parents."
Councillor Upton said the work will also affect The Wyre Forest School and St John's Primary School.
He said the work will continue despite tabling a motion at full council in January this year calling for school premises to be kept clear of utility and highways work during term times unless for emergencies.
Councillor Upton highlighted a similar issue last September when St Catherine's School on Marlpool Lane returned to find gas work taking place outside the school.
He said: "It will be interesting on Thursday when the schools open for the new terms. I have contacted highways and the cabinet member for highways asking why this has been allowed?
"I want answers to why after all the discussion that took place nothing has been done to effect change on how these situations are handled for the benefit and safety of school children.
"I will be contacting highways to ensure that the street works team are monitoring the situation daily for the safety of all concerned throughout the duration of the works as well as questioning the process that seems to have achieved nothing in respect to changing the status quo."
A spokesperson for National Grid said: "This is an important investment to upgrade the electricity network to meet future demand from low carbon technology, such as EV chargers and heat pumps.
"Work started in June and carried on over the school holidays to minimise disruption. We expect to finish the installation of new cables in October.
"We've worked closely with the highways authority to coordinate this project and would like to thank the community for its patience while we carry out this essential upgrade."
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council: "Whilst we always seek to avoid works in the vicinity of schools, during term time, there are simply not enough school holiday periods available to accommodate all major utility and highway works across the county. Many schemes require several months of planning and can take several weeks to complete, meaning it is often not possible to programme them entirely within school holiday windows.
"In addition, utility companies have statutory rights to maintain, repair, and upgrade their apparatus within the public highway. The County Council coordinates work to minimise disruption and considers locations such as schools as part of the permit process, however there are occasions where essential works must continue during term time to ensure critical infrastructure improvements can be delivered.
"Where works are in the vicinity of schools, we expect contractors to give due consideration to school traffic, pedestrian movements and peak drop off and collection times. We have added a condition to the permit to include manual control of the lights at peak times and will be carrying out regular inspections."
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