RESIDENTS living near a dual carriageway say their lives have been made hell by late-night roadworks – which highways chiefs say will reduce noise.

People in Aston Road, Queensferry, said they have not slept since the overnight road resurfacing scheme on the A494 in Higher Shotton began last week.

One resident, disabled pensioner Hazel Dwyer, 60, told the Leader she was being kept awake by the sound of heavy drilling, grinding and wagons blasting their horns.

She said: “They are supposed to start at 7pm, but they aren’t starting until 11pm. We could cope until about 1am, but it’s going on till nearly 4am.

“I know the road needs doing, but why should we have to suffer? I haven’t slept and we are all at our wits’ end.”

Mrs Dwyer suffers from arthritis and takes a prescription of morphine to help her sleep, but she is still being kept awake and her 37-year-old son Christopher is currently recovering from a blood clot on his lung.

Adrian Young, 26, and his partner Sam Stewart have three young children and say they have not slept since Monday.

Mr Young said: “We are suffering big time. The noise pollution is atrocious. If I was to make that much noise I’d be fined. We have got flashing lights outside the house and all you can hear is constant beeping from the wagons.

“I’m desperate to get some sleep. My girlfriend works shifts and when I spoke to her before she said she was dead on her feet.”

The roadworks are expected to last three weeks, but residents say they cannot cope any longer.

Mrs Dwyer added: “This is going to make me ill because I’m just not getting my sleep. They can’t put people through this, we want it stopped and we want the work to be done during the day.”

Aston councillor George Hardcastle, who also lives near the roadworks, said: “I do sympathise with these people and I know how frustrating it is, but unfortunately it’s a catch-22 situation.

“People want this work done, but there is a disturbance when it is and I do appreciate that people can’t sleep, but hopefully once it’s done it will all go back to normal.”

A Welsh Assembly government spokesman said: “The resurfacing works being carried out on this section of the A494 include measures intended to reduce the noise of the traffic for local residents.

“We are sorry for the short-term inconvenience, but with 65,000 vehicles travelling daily through this section of road, it is not possible to undertake this work during the day.”