PARENTS from Abercarn have spoken of their “nightmare” after a Network Rail delay prolonged noisy works throughout the night.

The maintenance works are part of the Ebbw Vale Frequency scheme and have been taking place outside properties on Railway Terrace, Abercarn from Saturday, May 14.

Although homeowners were informed of the overnight work by letter, Network Rail workers encountered issues when transporting stone, which delayed works into the early hours of Monday, May 16.

As a result noisy machinery, floodlights and vibrations disturbed the tenants and homeowners on Railway Terrace, West End, continuing until 4.55am.

Sarah Richards, 45, of Railway Terrace, stated that the noise and light pollution affected her husband’s work and 15-year-old daughter’s GCSE preparations.

“You can’t explain the volume of noise until you witness it and there were JCBs going back and forth and flood lights. The disruption was phenomenal.

“My husband is also a welder and he has to get up at 5am every day and doing that job with no sleep could lead him to injure himself or have an accident.”

Neighbour Angela Murphy, 43, described the works as “horrendous” and is worried about her daughters, 17-year-old Lucie and 15-year-old Abbie, who are preparing for AS levels and GCSEs.

She said: “It’s just appalling. The vibrations are so strong that my glasses rattle in the cupboard.

“Myself and my daughters were sitting up until 4.15am on Monday morning and one of them was even late for school the next day.”

A spokeswoman for Network Rail confirmed workers encountered an issue when transporting stone to the site and that an investigation is currently ongoing into the incident.

She added: "As a result, extra resources were drafted in during the night to ensure the line was handed back on time so that the first train services on Monday morning were not affected.

“We apologise for any increased disruption that occurred due to this incident on Sunday night and we would like to thank our lineside neighbours for their ongoing patience while we deliver this important project to improve services on the line.”