A Maori Hill resident is fed up with the incessant noise and dust caused by road works which have been going on outside his house for a year.
Wales St resident Ross Beckingham (69) said City Care contractors working for the Dunedin City Council had been carrying out road works on his street and neighbouring Fairfax St for the past year.
He accepted the work, which involved upgrading stormwater, foul sewer and roading infrastructure, was needed, but said the contractor and the council had shown no consideration to local residents.
Since contractors started about a year ago, residents in the vicinity had to put up with six days a week of what he called "trench warfare''.
He, his wife Suzanne and neighbours were sick of being woken up as early as 6.10am by workers, who often left their heavy machinery running on idle and yelled at each other to hear themselves above the engine noise.
"They just forget people are still sleeping.
"I spent 50 years getting up at 6am to start work at 8am. We don't want to do it when we are retired.''
They were also angry they had not been consulted about fresh work to replace a stretch of grass next to nearby Bishopscourt ground with a concrete car park.
He did not want to be seen as a "whinger'', but the situation had reached a "tipping point'' and he rated the council's treatment of residents an "epic fail''.
In future, contractors should stick to 7.30am start times as promised, or introduce 8am start times when working in residential areas.
Council capital delivery team leader Dominika Biziak-Kochan said the work, which was now complete, was part of a wider programme to upgrade Kaikorai Valley's wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
It was initially hoped it would be completed by November last year, but unforeseen ground conditions and other issues led to the timeframe being extended, Ms Biziak-Kochan said.
Residents were kept informed about the wider project in a variety of ways, including through council newsletter FYI, information on its website and contractor letters.
The green space next to Bishopscourt ground had traditionally been used as an overflow car park and had been converted to gravel to better manage parking in the area during peak times.
The council was planning to improve the appeal of the area by establishing trees and other planting next to the car park and would welcome any suggestions from Mr Beckingham.
