Work is stopped after neighbours complain of 2am 'racket' (From Wirral Globe)

Work is stopped after neighbours complain of 2am 'racket'

3:18pm Thursday 8th November 2012 in News By Stephanie Cureton

NETWORK Rail has been forced to stop chopping down “potentially hazardous” trees at a Wirral train station after residents complained it was causing them sleepless nights.

Workmen had started to saw down trees at Wallasey Village station during the early hours of the morning in a bid to reduce the safety risk they posed.

However local residents soon bombarded Wirral Council and Network rail with complaints as chainsaws and workers’ conversations kept them awake all night.

The work has now been suspended until further notice after the council gave them a warning notice.

Melanie Neilson, whose house backs onto the tracks, said she was struggling to sleep through the “racket.”

She said: “I have been awake since 2am this morning listening to the God-awful racket that is trees being chain-sawed – I have to be up at six!

“I have been told Network Rail could be breaching noise pollution levels for that hour of the night – not only were the chainsaws a constant bind but the workmen are all shouting to each other too.

“I live a couple of roads back from the actual track so those who live next to it must be demented.”

Residents, whose homes overlooked the embankment of trees, initially feared that the scheme to cut down the trees would rob them of their privacy and leave them open to flooding problems.

It was later agreed that extra fencing would be put up while laurel trees and shrubs would also be planted.

The work is being done from 11pm until 5am every night this week but now it is not known when it will be picked up again.

A Network rail spokesman said: “We were told by the council about a number of complaints they had received.

"The work now has been halted indefinitely, although we have had calls from some residents are angry that the work has been stopped.”