ANGRY residents living in the shadow of the Weymouth Relief Road have said the council is treating them unfairly and has stopped listening to them.

Residents from The Finches, Kestrel View and Wheatear Close met to discuss their concerns about the apparently incomplete sound barrier, lack of dog litter bins on the new site, and the excessive noise and dust caused by the road works.

Clifford Cripps, 75, lives closest to the road on The Finches. He said that he has lost £20,000 from the value of his house because of the road and is worried that the council will not give residents compensation.

He said: “We have been treated like scum.

“What else can you say, if you have a legitimate complaint, you would expect to be heard and get something done.”

He added: “No-one wanted the road but we have to accept it.

“But its just if we could get some consideration or understanding of what we’re going through, or a break in council tax, but nobody wants to know us.”

Mr Cripps has asked the council to extend the sound barrier that runs along the new road so that it bypasses his garden and helps to cut out excess noise. He is also concerned that a patch of land left between his boundary and the fence to the relief road will become overgrown with weeds because the council has left no access route to it to maintain it.

Kestrel View resident Ray James, 68, said: “The first few months the council were reasonable.

“When they first started they couldn’t do enough for us.

“It wasn’t always like this.”

He added: “If they’re supposed to be over three months ahead of schedule, why are we putting up with so many hours of this noise and dust? We don’t have one minute’s rest now.”

Residents say that they were promised free window cleaning and car washes at Morrisons but the promised vouchers have now stopped being issued.

Resident Reg Lewis, 88, of The Finches, described the council as being ‘full of promises’.

With clouds of dust being kicked up by the work, residents say they can’t hang out their washing or open their windows.

Beryl Dagger, 72, of The Finches, said: “It feels like I’m in a goldfish bowl with people looking in.”

The Finches resident Denise Hansford, 70, said she was concerned about the state of the footpaths and the dog excrement that is being left.

She said: “We’re all getting to the stage of thinking, what’s the point? But we have to keep going.”

She added: “We’re fed up with the noise and lack of consideration and being treated like idiots.”

Dorset County Council response

A spokesman for the Relief Road project at Dorset County Council said: “There are two dowsers on site constantly damping down during the day.

“The recent warm and dry weather with a gentle breeze makes dust suppression difficult.

“The contractor’s summer weekday working hours are 7am to 7pm, with an hour for shutdown.

“On Saturdays, work is from 8am to 1pm with an hour for shutdown.”

He added: “With regards to extending the sound barrier, we are investigating the best fencing options and will be in touch with Mr Cripps to discuss them with him.”

The council said that the law relating to compensation claims was complex and encouraged residents to seek advice from professionals, but confirmed that the road had to be in use for one year before a claim can be submitted.

Discussions are taking place with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council about putting in dog fouling bins and the council said that residents could claim free car and window cleaning by contacting the project number 01305 224394.