M-way family's anger as noise barrier taken
A sleep-deprived mother living in the bungalow closest to the M6 roadworks says she is at the end of her tether after workmen pulled down the sound barrier between her home and the motorway.
Denise Clare lives in Wood Lane, Willenhall, with her husband, Paul, aged 52, daughter Vicki, 24, and two-year-old grandson Joel, just feet away from the motorway. The Highways Agency today said it would pay for the family to live in alternative accommodation while the sound barrier is down.
But Mrs Clare, 54, said the agency and building contractor Carillion have told her they cannot say when they will be able to put up a sound barrier again.
She said: "The traffic noise is horrendous. It's the fact that our bungalow is so close. I cannot sleep at all because of the traffic – it's an absolute nightmare."
Walsall Councillor Ian Shires visited Mrs Clare's house after she asked him for help.
He said: "The motorway is within feet of the bungalow, it's the closest you can get to the motorway.
"I live by the motorway but at least I have a garden between us and the carriageway, these people don't have that, it's that close.
"The environmental fence was there for a reason. These people are getting no sleep and it's not right. This is the worst case but it's not the only one."
Highways Agency spokesman Anthony Aston said: "We are aware of the issues at Wood Lane and have been working very closely with the family concerned.
"We have come to an agreement that we will pay for them to move into alternative accommodation while the environmental screen between their property and the motorway is down and we are working on the embankment immediately next to their property."
