An angry mother from Abbots Langley claims her family are being kept awake by Hertfordshire County Council workers as they carry out “noisy” roadworks.

Gallows Hill has been closed since Monday October 4, as the council updates traffic lights close to the railway bridge.

But Marisa Valori, 42, who has lived in the road for more than six years, said the noise is proving unbearable, especially as it goes on until late at night.

She said: “Don’t get me wrong, I know the lights need updating, I gather they are about 15 years old.

“But what I cannot understand is, why at 11pm on a weeknight, the workmen are using their loud pneumatic drills, and shining bright lights right outside our house.

“My son is one and a half – the noise upsets him. Then there’s the fact that it’s during the week, we all work, so of course it’s affecting how we perform day-to-day.

“I’m not asking them to stop all the work together, just to comprise. Can they not keep the noise level down from 10.30pm. It’s a reasonable request.”

At present, roadworks are being carried out from 8pm to 5am, and will continue to do so for a further four weeks.

Mrs Valori, who works for Hertfordshire Community Hospital Services, further claimed workers had dug up and destroyed the verges close to their houses, and residents’ cars were often covered in dirt and dust.

She said: “In all the time we have lived here, we have never had these levels of problems.

“With Network Rail, we find out two weeks before they carry out works and even then in terms of noise and inconvenience to us, what they do is minimal.

“The county council never informed us they were going to be updating the traffic lights and causing this much noise and mess.

“My neighbours didn’t receive a letter, so it can’t have gone astray.”

Jo Brown, from Hertfordshire County Council, said an information bulletin was sent to residents several weeks before the roadworks began, and advance warning signs were placed on both approaches to the site.

She said: “We appreciate residents' concerns and are now looking into finishing the noisiest elements by 11pm.

“The essential maintenance works may cause inconvenience to some people, but we are trying to keep this to a minimum as much as possible.

“When the works are finished, the verges will be fully reinstated to the same condition as they were prior to the works commencing.”