HOMEOWNERS have told of their anger after the house builders piled up a 14ft high bank of soil outside their homes.

The residents of new Consett estate, The Fieldings, say the mound has blanked out light from their homes, cost them their view, adversely affected the price of their houses and is a safety hazard.

Gateshead firm Haslam has piled up the soil into a plateau in order to build more than 50 homes on the site.

Haslam has received planning permission to build the homes next to the existing estate of more than 70 houses, built near Consett police station four years ago.

But residents have said what the work entailed was not properly explained to them.

Michael Sheekey, 46, of Georgia Court, said: "Nobody had clue that this was going to happen.

"There is no way I would have bought my house if I knew they were going to do this.

"You have to see the sheer size of the bank to believe it."

Ernest and Rosemary Wright, also of Georgia Court, were also concerned. Mrs Wright said: "This is dangerous. Sooner or later it is going to wash away. In the meantime we will have the problem of the rain pouring down off the slope on to our homes."

Fellow resident Michael O'Neill said he had only bought his home five weeks ago and was concerned about the value of his home as well as the drainage issue.

Sales manager for Haslam Brian Lilley said he had been out to talk to the residents. He said: "There is absolutely no problem with safety.

"I would say we are keen to continue the goodwill that exists between ourselves and the residents there, and that is why we have cleaned up at least one house which had mud splattered on it.

"I have made personal checks about house prices and in fact the value of the homes is increasing.