Shropshire Council sorry for noise from Shrewsbury digging

Plans for the Shrewsbury north west relief road have proved controversial and attracted hundreds of objections from people living nearby

Residents complaining of "horrendous" and "non-stop noise" from work linked to a planned multimillion-pound relief road have received an apology.

Shropshire Council admitted there had been an "oversight" in not letting people near Shelton Rough, Shrewsbury, know about the disruption.

In a letter, the authority said it should have alerted householders.

If fully funded and approved, the north west relief road would connect northern and western Shrewsbury.

Plans for the bypass are controversial and have attracted hundreds of objections from people living nearby.

Residents have complained of "weeks of non-stop noise and vibrations" during the council's initial investigation work, according to campaign group Better Shrewsbury Transport.

'Nowhere to escape'

Will Read, whose house borders Shelton Rough, said: "The noise has been horrendous, so bad that it's been impossible to even sit in the garden without getting a headache."

Emma Bullard from the group, which is opposed to the building of the relief road, said the work had been disruptive.

"With the nearby housing development in Bicton Heath currently under construction, it means that there is nowhere for local families to escape for some peace and quiet," she added.

In the letter seen by the BBC, Matt Johnson, for Shropshire Council, admitted to the oversight and apologised, adding while quieter drills had been used for previous ground investigation works, the latest one uses a noisier sonic rig.

The council said it had made changes, including not starting drilling work before 08:00 and warning residents of weekend work.

The authority says the road is a "key priority" and it has received an offer of funding from the government.

Initially it said building the road would cost about £80m, but in recent months admitted costs would be higher than first anticipated.

It expects to submit a full business case by the end of the year, subject to planning approval.