Welshpool roadwork noise keeps residents awake

Locals have complained abut the town's one-way system since it opened in 2011

Roadworks will be monitored in a town after the local council received complaints that noisy work overnight had disturbed residents.

People in Welshpool complained they were being kept awake by loud drilling through the night.

The project aims to make improvements to the local one-way system.

The work, near Salop Road, will continue for another two weeks, but the town council says any noisy work should be done before 22:00 BST.

It follows complaints about Welshpool's one-way system since it opened in 2011.

Some businesses said it was confusing and was keeping shoppers away from the town, while there were also concerns about pedestrian safety with two lanes of traffic running through the town centre.

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Eight years on, contractors have started to make improvements to the system with two-way traffic restored to one of the roads.

Some of the work has to be done through the night when the road can be closed without disrupting the traffic flow.

Beki Williams said she could still hear the noise through double glazed windows

Beki Williams, who lives on Salop Road, said: "The first night was pretty bad, it was going on all night.

"I think it started round about eight in the evening and was definitely going on until at least five in the morning. It was hammer, jack drills, so really, really noisy.

"We've got double glazing and could still hear it, so I feel sorry for those people who haven't.

"I'm really conscious that a few people in this row are elderly or have got young children. I think it must have been a night of no sleep for some people."

Mary Kelly Williams wrote on social media: "Anyone else on Salop Road feel as if you're trying to sleep on a building site? And this is only the first night of many where we have to endure tipping, banging, crashing, scraping."

Any loud work will be carried out between 20:00-22:00 BST, the town council said

Following the complaints, the town council met with the contractors and agreed that any noisy work should be done earlier at night.

Robert Robinson, of Welshpool town council, said: "It was one night where it was not really very good but we've addressed that issue.

"We're reviewing it on a daily basis and we're working with the contractors and the county council and we're working together to minimise the noise as much as possible.

"The worst is out of the way, we're now looking at doing any noisy work between eight and 10 in the evening, so that the overnight work is the much quieter work."