RESIDENTS have called for curbs on overnight working by council contractors, which they claim deprives them of sleep.

As part of a street enhancement scheme in North Road, Durham, work is carried out overnight to avoid disruption during busy daytime hours.

Contractors have been asked to perform as many preparatory tasks as possible away from the city centre site to reduce dust and avoid disturbing people in streets leading off North Road.

They are using a former city council nursery, three-quarters of a mile away at Barker's Haugh, to carry out off-site work, including cutting paving stones before taking them to North Road.

But it has led to noise disrupting the sleep of residents in streets off The Sands, on the opposite bank of the river.

At least one complaint has been made to the city council's environmental health department, but as the contract continues other residents are planning to protest.

Among them is Eric Brown, who said disruption varies from night to night, as he attempts to sleep at his Ferens Park apartment.

He said: "It's been going on for a few weeks now. It seems to affect some people more than others.

"Some of our neighbours say they are becoming accustomed to it and sleep through it, while others are kept awake or wake up if there's a sudden bang or crash.

"It can be three or four in the morning before you get to sleep, and that's not good for people who have to get up in the morning."

The £350,000 North Road enhancement scheme began in January and is not expected to finish until the first week in June.

A Durham County Council spokesman said as much of the work as possible was being carried out overnight and away from North Road in a bid to reduce disruption.

He said: "The last thing we want is to disrupt people's lives. We've asked for as much of the work as possible to be carried out before 11pm, but it's not a cut-off time."

He said the council would ask contractors to comply with any recommendations made by environmental health officers.