TEACHERS have warned they may ballot for strike action for fear of their health and safety at work.

Their union, the EIS, said the pandemic seemed to be treated as a “mild irritation” in schools even as their areas went into Level 4 lockdown restrictions.

They said classrooms - equivalent to 30 or more households - were not seeing enough mask wearing and made social distancing impossible.

Thousands of staff and pupils are self-isolating in Scotland.

Jim Halfpenny, joint secretary of the West Dunbartonshire branch of the EIS, said frequent hand sanitising and effective cleaning of work areas had also proved “problematic”.

He said the union would ballot for industrial action if the current situation continued.

Mr Halfpenny said: “The dangers to health within schools will clearly increase as we move further into the winter season.

“Effective ventilation through open windows is consistently promoted as an essential challenge to Covid-19. However, schools are struggling to maintain an acceptable classroom temperature under these conditions.

“In comparison with other areas of society, this blatant lack of concern for health and safety in education is founded in the political expediency of the Scottish Government.

“There is a clear and overwhelming feeling among teachers and support staff that during this pandemic we have been hung out to dry.”

The union said blended learning and expanding classrooms into empty community spaces would cut the risk.

A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “Weappreciate the challenges faced by our dedicated teachers who have been a credit to their profession in they way they have continued to support our 14,000 young people

“The majority of our pupils have adapted well to the new legislation and are adhering to the new measures of wearing face coverings, hand hygiene and where possible maintaining a two metre physical distance within schools.

“The council, like every other local authority in Scotland, will continue to follow and be guided by the Scottish Government to safely keep our schools open in line with the current advice.”

The Scottish Government did not reply to a request for comment.