More than a dozen fuming Black Country residents were travelling to Downing Street today to protest at controversial work to open up the hard shoulder of the M6 to drivers.

A total of 14 people from Murdock Way, in Beechdale, Walsall, were delivering a petition to the Prime Minister about the project, taking place just yards from their homes.

They say they are not against the £150 million scheme to reduce motorway congestion, but object to the hacking down of a dozens of trees backing on to their properties to make way for laybys.

They fear the move would expose them to the noise and pollution of passing traffic.

And families, who live near to the southbound carriageway, are also angry about the giant overhead gantries that highways bosses plan to erect.

People living in Short Heath are equally as annoyed, after trees were also cut down near their homes by the northbound carriageway.

Mel Sanders, aged 41, from the Beechdale Residents’ Association, said today: “It’s been a hard slog but we feel like we’re going in the right direction.

“We going right to the top today, so if this doesn’t get us anywhere I don’t know what will. We don’t think we’re being unreasonable. I was born in the street and you do get used to it over the years, but since the trees have come down, the noise and the lack of privacy has been ridiculous.

“There doesn’t seem to be any real reason for the gantries to be right on our road too.”

The campaigners were meeting Walsall North MP David Winnick, who has helped arrange today’s crusade. “It is totally unacceptable the way residents are being treated,” he said.