A HIGHWAY contractor has been criticised for carrying out roadworks in a residential area into the early hours of the morning, without giving any prior warning.

Residents in Cambridge Road, Hitchin, were kept awake by workmen who were carrying out the works with a planer machine from 8pm last Thursday.

They did not stop until gone midnight, with residents claiming they had received no warning about the works.

Chrissy Russell, who lives on Cambridge Road with her family, said: “I stay up quite late but my mum and dad wanted to go to bed and couldn’t sleep.

“My brother’s 14 and he goes to school. He would have been kept awake and lots of people up here work full-time.

“You could feel it and the house was shaking.”

The 19-year-old called up Herts County Council the following day, but was told there was nothing on their system.

She considered putting in a complaint but says she hasn’t because she doesn’t think it will make a difference.

“If it’s emergency work they don’t have to give notice, but it didn’t look like too much of an emergency,” she added.

“At the time, I did ask what time they were finishing and they said they weren’t sure. We were given no notice at all.”

According to Highways contractor Ringway, which works on behalf of the county council, the works were classified as emergency but could have been carried out the next morning.

Divisional manager Matthew Kelley said: “Wherever possible, we aim to give advanced notice of our planned works. Unfortunately, in exceptional circumstances such as emergency works, this is not always possible.

“We do apologise to the residents of Cambridge Road for any inconvenience caused whilst we carried out emergency repairs between the Walsworth Road and Stotfold Road junctions.

“Due to the nature of the works, the repairs were carried out on Thursday night in order to make the road safe and minimise disruption during the busy Friday morning.”