RESIDENTS have said they are being forced to live through a nightmare because A12 construction traffic roars past their homes during the early hours.

The A12 resurfacing scheme, which saw major works begin last year, means the major road closes overnight to minimise disruption.

But with HGVs and construction traffic going to and from the A12 via London Road, residents in Copford and Stanway have said it has been months since they last managed to sleep through the night whilst A12 road closures have been in place.

The roadworks, which sometime see the A12 shut from as early as 9pm, are not set to be completed until next year, and Beverley Whitfield has said residents in Copford and Stanway have reached the end of their patience with the disruption.

She said: “It’s an absolute nightmare.

“This is going to go on for another year – when the roadworks start, that’s when the nightmare starts.

“The road closes at 9pm, and by 9.10pm, the house starts shaking – every HGV and truck comes charging up past our house

“The road is meant to have a 30mph speed limit, but none of them stick to that – they just put their foot down to get up the hill, and it carries on right the way through until 5am in the morning.”

Mrs Whitfield, 53, added although she understands the need for the work to be done, the B-road can’t cope with the influx of HGVs.

“We have been at breaking point, because the road is not equipped to take the amount of traffic and heaviness of all the vehicles.

“We had a clunky drain outside our house and it got to the point where we found our own cones to make the traffic go around it.

“If HGVs knocked the cones out of the way, we would have to get up in the middle of the night to put them back on the road.