A major road in Burton is to be closed for three weeks longer than scheduled after unmarked cabling was found underground - sparking more anger amongst local residents.
Staffordshire County Council has revealed that the discovery of the telecoms cable located within the new drainage works means that Branston Road, in Tatenhill, will now need to be closed to traffic until December 6, to allow further work at the site.
The announcement comes only a day before villagers are set to attend a "drop-in" session discussing the next phase of closures from January to May next year.
The major works have involved the removal of an existing road, construction of a new road and roundabout, and a new footway and cycleway. It is all part of getting infrastructure into place for a brand new £30 million secondary school which will open in September 2018.
County Councillor Helen Fisher, cabinet support member for highways and transport, said: "These works are essential to ensure the entire infrastructure is in place to serve the new school, businesses and future residents.
"Not only are we constructing a new road and roundabout, we are also installing services, traffic signs, street lighting and marking out the roads.
"The discovery of this unmarked cable in the road means we will need to do extra work, causing the road closure to continue until December. We realise that any road closure and diversion can cause disruption, but our engineers are working hard to ensure this is kept at a minimum."
People living in Tatenhill have endured around 12 months of on and off road closures while work is being done to improve the road ready for the opening. But villagers now say they will face further inconvenience after discovering it will close again on January 2 until May 15, 2018.
The closure is in place between the new roundabout in Branston Road and the Main Street/Dunstall Road crossroads in Tatenhill village.
Officers from Staffordshire County Council, Seddon Construction, Entrust, sponsors John Taylor Multi Academy Trust (JTMAT) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency are behind the new secondary school.
Villagers are invited to attend a meeting to "try to resolve the predicament the village finds itself in."
People will meet at the Horseshoe Inn on Wednesday, November 8, at around 5.30pm before heading down to the public drop-in session at 6pm at the village hall, which is being held by Staffordshire County Council from 5pm to 7pm.
The £30 million school is being built in response to planned housing developments and an increasing birth rate in the Burton area, with around 3,000 new secondary school places needed in the town over the next 15 years.
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