Two people in homes under a Southampton bridge undergoing work have described their lives as a “living nightmare”.
Neighbours Angela Hooker and Jason Fisher live in Test Lane right next to Redbridge Causeway where ongoing works have caused havoc for drivers and residents alike.
The duo say the noise from the works happening during the night has stopped them from being able to sleep.
Angela, a 51-year-old supervisor at a gym, said the roadworks have had real impacts on her mental health.
She said: “It has played havoc with my mental anguish and anxiety, sometimes I don’t want to come home because I don’t want to listen to all the noise.”
READ MORE: Faulty materials causing four weeks of traffic misery on Redbridge Causeway
She has been left unable to sleep. She said: “I came home in the evening after work and just wanted to get in bed, but I kept getting woken up with all the work going on outside and I barely got any sleep that time."
“I wake up with and it goes on. I’m having to put on rain music to try to get to sleep.”
She added: “It’s a nightmare you look at it now it’s like a murder scene out there, it’s a living nightmare."
Neighbour Jason, 52, was woken up by the sound generators and drilling.
“I was up all night watching television trying to get to sleep, they had the jackhammer going all night long on the railing bridge." He said.
He added: “Why are they [workers] shouting in the middle of the night while they’re at work, there’s no consideration for the neighbours.”
The two residents were offered temporary hotel accommodation but they rejected this.
Angela said she was worried about leaving her house unattended during the night while Jason said the food "wasn't very good".
In response, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “The majority of the refurbishment work on the four bridges at Redbridge Causeway is being carried out during the day.
"However, two of the bridges have concrete beams that span over the railway and work on these requires access to the railway itself.
"While we always try to obtain permission for this from Network Rail for daytime working at weekends, this is not always possible.
“Where night works are required, and in order to minimise disturbance to residents in the houses that are close to the bridges in Test Lane, temporary hotel accommodation is being offered.
"In addition, quiet-running generators and noise-reducing sheeting/curtains are being utilised at all times to minimise disruption.”
Various works to upgrade sections of the bridge have been happening for a number of years and were divided into three sections.
The work being done now is to rectify issues found with bridge parapet panels originally delivered before Christmas. The remaining batches of panels are set to be delivered to the site over the coming weeks and installed by early April.
Once these are done, the next phase of stage three will start which will see the installation on the eastbound carriageway of concrete cover slabs, water-proofing the north footway and resurfacing all three bridges.
This is currently programmed to take place from 17 April until late July.
The works are expected to end by November this year.
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