Residents are fuming at noisy construction work coming from a newbuild estate which is as 'loud as a jet engine', shakes their homes and covers their gardens in thick dust. Homeowners are being 'driven mad' by the ear-splitting sound of pile driver machines working on a nearby new housing development in St John's, Worcester. Locals say work began on the 120 homes four weeks ago entirely without their knowledge on a site which they believed would remain green belt land. Night shift workers have been losing sleep as a result of the 'horrendous' din which has been shaking the foundations of their £425,000 properties between 7am and 5pm. They are also angry at the amount of thick dust spilling over from the construction site which covers their washing and forces them to keep their windows closed. Others have complained that their views of what were once fields will now be ruined by the new estate, which is managed by Vistry Partnerships and Stonewater developers. It has also been reported the relentless hammering sounds coming from the heavy-duty machinery can also be heard up to a mile away. One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "Its horrendous, I'm having to sleep I the back room to try and escape the noise as I work nights. "But the sound of the machinery is literally shaking the house, you can feel the vibrations when you're just sitting down for a cup of tea. "God knows how much damage they are causing as our homes are newbuilds and the foundations need time to settle. It's driving us mad. "The noise is relentless from 7am to 5pm. It's like living next to a jet engine, it's like we're living at an airport. "On top of that you can't leave your washing out as it gets covered in dust, it even gets into the house if you leave the windows open. "We knew nothing about it and they didn't even consult residents, we thought the land was green belt and then all of a sudden all these diggers turned up. "Some people have had their garden views ruined and it's only going to get worse as they slap up more than a hundred homes. "If it was anyone else making this level of noise then something would be done about it. "But because its big business and the council backed the development you just know nothing is going to happen." The work on the affordable housing development is taking place on Bromyard Road and University Park Drive and will include a mix of two-to-four-bed homes. Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It's just this big pilon pounding the ground all day - a minimum of seven to eight hours a day. "We were going insane because of the noise. It's enough to drive you mental. "It's very noisy. You feel the vibrations all around the house. You get it double because of the echo." Councillor Richard Udall, a St John's Labour county and city councillor, says the machine is so loud people can still hear it from the other side of the River Severn. Cllr Richard Udall said: “I have received many complaints from a very wide area. "I live nearly a mile away from the site and can hear the noise, other residents tell me they can even hear it on the other side of the river. "It's horrendous, a constant repetitive, relentless and loud banging noise. To add insult to injury, we have been informed it will be on-going for four weeks. "Most people have had no prior notice or warning, some local residents are sensitive to noise, they have no escape from it. It's very intrusive and disturbing. "It’s having a very serious and detrimental impact on the quality of life of many residents." Cllr Udall confirmed he has asked both Planning Enforcement and Environmental Health to intervene. But he added: "Both appear to be powerless to help, as long as the construction works happen between 7.30am and 6pm, we have no power. "I would hope the construction company can consider attaching noise dampeners or echo barriers to the machine, to try and reduce its impact. "Clearly the work needs to be done, but it shouldn’t have to be so disruptive and damaging to so many residents." A Worcester City Council spokesperson said it was aware of the concerns and added: "Having investigated these concerns we have not evidenced any breach of the conditions attached to the planning approval regarding working hours and best practice that aims to limit the impact of noise on local residents. "Should residents be concerned that significant noise nuisance is occurring outside of these requirements then this should be reported to Worcestershire Regulatory Services on 01905 822799 or email enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk.”