ANGRY hoteliers on Scarborough's North Side say they are losing hundreds of pounds worth of business because of the noise of contractors working through the night to build a new sea wall of rocks around the Marine Drive.

The £26m scheme involves huge rocks being shipped across the North Sea from Scandinavia to protect the Drive and the East Pier after they have been weakened following decades of pounding by the sea.

John Greenhough, of the Derwent Hotel, said: "The noise is horrendous. It sounds like an earthquake as the rocks are dumped by the barges and lorries."

Some guests had left early because they could not sleep, he added.

Iris Hearson, of the Millmoor Hotel, in Blenheim Terrace, said "We can still hear the noise even with double glazing. It is very upsetting for both hoteliers and guests."

John Riby, Scarborough Town Council's principal engineer, said the work needed to be done at night to speed up the scheme, otherwise it would be spread over three summer seasons instead of two. It was also governed by the tides, he said.

However, talks are to be held with the contractors in the hope of exploring ways of reducing the noise.