Angry residents say their lives have been made a “nightmare” by a developer in charge of building a new 215-home estate.

Homeowners living in London Road, Braintree, claim they have had to put up with constant disruption ever since Countryside began work on its new Meadow Rise development last year.

The group of residents say they were not consulted on plans to build a retaining wall outside the front of their properties, as well as a new 8ft fence which has been installed directly behind their back gardens.

They also claim they were left without gas and electricity when workman accidentally hit cables and mains when drilling along nearby roads.

Despite meeting representatives from the developer to express their dismay at the situation, the group insist they are continuing to be ignored and are also suffering with dust and noise issues.

Paul Ogborn, whose house backs on to the new estate, said: “They always start work early and finish late.

“No one tells you what they’re doing and when. If they block your driveway in or are doing work right next to your property, no one

bothers to knock and show any courtesy. It’s just been awful.”

“It would have just been nice to have some recognition of the inconvenience that we have had to tolerate and the disruption to our daily lives.

“We are their neighbours at the end of the day and they haven’t treated us with the respect we deserve. They have bulldozed their way in and whenever we have an issue it’s been impossible to talk to them.

“It says on their website ‘respecting the community’. Well that’s nonsense, we haven’t had any respect at all.”

Countryside says it has been sending monthly newsletters to residents to keep them informed of any work which may affect them.

A spokesman said: “Throughout the development of Meadow Rise, we have been taking the necessary steps to ensure that residents are kept duly informed of any upcoming work which may affect them.

“We sympathise with their frustration resulting from interruptions to gas and electricity, and apologise for any inconvenience.

“The relevant statutory bodies have made every effort to restore services as quickly as possible.

“With regard to any excessive noise and dust, we have always abided by the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s Voluntary Code of Considerate Practice, upon which we are independently monitored.

"If any residents feel their concerns have not been addressed, we would encourage them to contact us directly.”