Locals in North Dublin say they haven’t slept in days after roadworkers showed up without warning and worked through the night for the past three nights.
The works got underway in Beaumont this weekend and have been ongoing until the early hours of the morning every night.
Locals were told that the council has a special dispensation to work until 6am to get the work done; however, they say they were never warned about the plans.
Listen in to @LunchtimeLiveNT as @andreagilligan will be talking to listeners in Beaumont who had residential roadworks working through the night until 4:30am. https://t.co/QGoA4C4U6K pic.twitter.com/IkxHLKwYgK
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) March 29, 2023
On Lunchtime Live this morning, Beaumont resident Dave said nobody was prepared.
“They gave nobody any warning so nobody had a chance to oppose,” he said. “They just snuck it in.
“A lot of people on this road would be elderly.
“My niece and nephew live next door and they have school in the morning. They have been coming home from school like zombies.
“So it’s just crazy carry-on.”
Road works
He said the workers “just laughed at me” when he went out to complain about what was happening.
“Literally, they seem to have a free pass to work 24 hours at the junction because if they don’t have to finish until 6am, I’m sure they normally start around 8am anyway.
“They finished last night at around 4:30am.”
"Rumbling"
He said it is impossible to sleep with the work continuing.
“They have to get one machine in to scrape the tarmacadam up, then they have the big trucks taking the old tar way and bringing the new tar in,” he said.
“Then they lay it and have to use the rollers. The sirens and horns are constantly going and they’re using pneumatic drills and saws and steamrollers or whatever you call them so the house has literally been rumbling at times here – every night.”
"Nightmare"
Another resident Susan said the situation is a “nightmare” when you have children.
“I’ve got a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old and they get up for school at 6:15am in the morning so the work is literally just finishing when it is time to get up,” she said.
“My son was actually sent home from school sick yesterday because he was just exhausted.
“It is an absolute nightmare. How can you think people can function without sleep.
“I’ve had no sleep for the last three nights and you just get to the afternoon and you drive somewhere, you have no idea how you got there you are so tired.
“It is sleep deprivation; it’s dangerous.”
"Stand up"
Caller Tony said something similar happened in Dorset recently – but residents refused to let the workers get started.
“They had their permits and all and the residents said, no it’s not happening,” he said.
“They got out in the middle of the road and said, ‘you can pack up and go. Until you come back to us and arrange a time that is suitable to us, it’s just not happening.’
“They were fairly miffed but they had to pack up and go. We just weren’t letting it happen.
“Sometimes people just have to stand up to them.”
