ANGRY residents are so sick of work which has left them unable to sleep and breathe properly they are moving out of their homes.

Traffic has been diverted down Rectory Road in Oxford since July 10 for Thames Water to carry out £500,000 sewer replacement works on St Clements.

But noise from vehicles going over a now-fixed manhole cover which kept residents awake at night and buses and motorists clogging up the normally quiet street have driven some to despair.

Part of the road has collapsed in places, requiring it to be filled in but people worry an unusually heavy traffic flow could mean it happens again.

One Rectory Road resident, who wants to remain anonymous, said the work has been so bad for a relative’s asthma that they are leaving Oxford temporarily.

She said: “The traffic and its impact on us is so intolerable that we are going to stay with family. We have not had a single night of uninterrupted sleep since this started.

“We cannot open the windows for the pollution and noise and we cannot open the curtains in our bedroom without the people on the upper deck of buses staring in. Heavy goods vehicles are passing through the road and the house shakes as a result.

“There are alternatives - even a traffic light system on St Clement’s Road would be preferable. Inconvenienced drivers would have soon known to avoid the area."

Councillor Tom Hayes, who represents St Clement’s on Oxford City Council, said: “They cannot sleep, they cannot breathe clear air and when they look out the window they see the works.

“People have had no real communication from the county council.”

Bev Clack lives on Cross Street, just metres away from a manhole cover which was the source of much anger before it was repaired.

She said: “The main problem has been the traffic on Rectory Road. It’s turned an ordinary residential road into the main thoroughfare into Oxford. It’s been horrendous.

“The county council was incredibly weak about telling us what was happening. It’s taken a lot of phone calls to Thames Water to get them to do anything. I am not sure how long the road will last.”

Resident Jonathan Harty said: “It feels like it’s been going on forever."

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: “The traffic management for Thames Water’s work has been repeatedly discussed and refined and the impacts considered across a wide area.

"By working with Thames Water so positively we have been able to come up with a system that minimises congestion, reduces delays and enables the most efficient flow of traffic on the wider highway network.”

And a Thames Water spokesman said: “Our sewer work on St Clement’s Street is essential. By doing this work now, we’re reducing the chance of needing to carry out emergency repairs in the future, which could result in the need for a full road closure.

“We continue to work closely with Oxfordshire County Council to ensure our road diversion minimises congestion and through our collaborative working have significantly reduced the time this work will take.”

Work is set to finish on September 3.