Derbyshire residents say they are 'living in misery' with lorries covering their homes in mud every day as they drive just 8ins past their front doors

Homeowners say well-meaning builders who kick up the dirt from their trucks are damaging their brick work by repeatedly jet-washing the street.

Fed-up locals living on Stanley Street, Somercotes, say their lives have been made a "misery" after work on a new 180-home estate started down the road.

Dennis Martin, 78, and his wife Shirley, 71, say they battle daily with dust, dirt and grime from lorries and diggers squeezing up and down the narrow street.

Retired manager Dennis said: “The lorries come about 8ins (20cm) from our windows and front door. It's making our lives hell.

"We’re talking about big eight wheelers, weighing about 40 tonnes coming up and down all day from early in the morning until late at night.

"Our front door is white but by the end of the day it looks brown with dirt and mud and the windows are just covered.

“All the pavement is smashed up too making it difficult to walk on.

“The builders come down and jet wash the houses trying to get the muck off of them but that makes it worse.

"One of our neighbour's had water all over her carpet. Maybe the seals on the door wasn't up to it but her front carpet was sopping wet.

“She’s had to put paper down to soak the water up.

“A couple who lived on the road even moved because they were scared that their kids would get run over.

“It’s the lorries that have broken the road up but now they’re saying it’s the buses that are doing it.

“Buses have been coming down here 40 years and never caused any damage. Now all this damage is here, they’re trying to blame the people for it.

“They’re massive, some of the trucks have got bulldozers on the back of them, big, long low loaders.

“Some lorries are that close to the house, it vibrates. We don’t feel it ever so much here but if we’re in the other room we do because they’re right up near the wall.

“Some lorries don’t even come steady, they mount the kerb at a pace. We can’t use the door. You can see where all the mud goes on the doors.

“I have to go out everyday and clean my door and windows. I just get a cloth. I can’t clean the brickwork, I just clean the window and door.”

The wagons are delivering building materials to the Miller Home development where 180 new homes are being built.

Building work started earlier this year but residents have been warned it could be five years before the estate is finished.

Dennis, who has lived on the road all his life, added: “It’s a nightmare to be honest. We feel as though we live on the building site because of all the lorries.

“One of the councillor said it could be almost five years of this. The masonry on my house is cracking and going black from where the lorries have kicked up mud.

“I had a lady sat in the front room and she jumped out of her seat because she thought lorry was coming through the wall.

“They come all day long. They aren’t supposed to start working until 8am, but I've seen lorries come up at 7.30am.”

Resident Peter Brewster, who lives near Dennis and Shirley, said: "It's the filth the lorries bring up. No matter what we do, we can't get out of it. It's a complete misery."

Neighbour Peter Raggett said his grandson's partner, who is in a wheelchair, also struggles to get out of the house because the road and pavement is so filthy.

Councillor Steven Tomlinson said the council had received numerous complaints, adding: "The residents are scared. Their doors lead straight out onto the pavement."

A spokesperson for Miller Homes, the firm behind the construction, said: “Planning permission was granted in April 2023 by Amber Valley Borough Council to deliver 180 much needed affordable homes at Stanley Street in Somercotes.

"Miller Homes has been appointed by Futures Housing Group as a responsible developer to deliver these homes, with safety being the number one priority when designing the approved traffic management plan, as well as ensuring minimal disruption to nearby residents.”