RESIDENTS across Bromsgrove district have hit out that many of the pathways and pavements and some roads around the area’s schools were not gritted or salted.
And they claimed the lack of action made the morning and afternoon journeys to drop off children and pick them up unnecessarily treacherous.
A lot of the schools were closed last Friday and on Monday and Tuesday because of the dangerous conditions and since the children returned, The Standard received numerous complaints from parents and grandparents.
One mum whose child attends Holywell Primary School in Rubery said: “You would expect the council to have gritted the roads, especially by a school.
“It was a nightmare on the school run this morning trying to get my son to school.”
A grandparent of a child at Finstall First School said: “The state of the roads and side roads leading up to the school were really dangerous.
“Surely more should have been done to make them safer.”
And a mum from Charford First School said: “Our parents had to pull together to clear the pavements around the school because the council failed to help us.”
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We have to prioritise our gritting efforts on main roads, major bus routes, links to villages and outside places like hospitals to keep the county moving.
“We have been actively encouraging schools to use grit bins, to help allay fears and help keep children and staff stay safe and the schools open during colder weather.
“Our vehicles have driven over 20,000 miles since the snowfall on Sunday and spread salt.
“Whilst minimising disruption is our key priority, it is not possible to treat all 3,300km of footpaths in the county.
“The teams have done a fantastic job in the past few days.”
Earlier in the week, the authority revealed two teams with 26 drivers worked on a rota in 12 hour shifts over the 48 hours, prior to and after the two heavy snowfalls.
It said drivers, mates and supervisors worked a total of 2,376 hours over the weekend and 2,712 tonnes of salt were used in the space of 48 hours to protect and treat the county’s roads.
Coun Alan Amos, Cabinet Member Responsible for Highways, said: “They’ve had to get out there and work in some pretty treacherous weather conditions to make sure the rest of us can travel on the roads and stay as safe as possible.
“People who live and work in Worcestershire can be really proud of our teams who have kept people moving and that can’t be said of other areas of the country.”
