Residents near Cardiff's Hailey Park in Wales say a sewage-station tunneling operation running day and night is causing sleeplessness, headaches, and earaches.
A resident said the drilling's vibrations are noticeable throughout nearly her entire home, leaving just one place where she can sit more comfortably.
Here's what to know
The utility says the continuous tunneling will connect sewage from the planned Plasdwr estate to the current sewer system, a step linked to the construction of 7,000 homes, according to the BBC.
The scheme was signed off in 2022, but delays piled up because of legal proceedings, waterlogged conditions, and equipment issues. Approval for this stage arrived in September 2026, and crews began work that month.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 56-year-old Steph Wilkins said the drilling has reshaped everyday life at home. Wilkins was among those involved in the failed court challenge to the works.
"In my house, there's only one spot that I can sit down in, where I don't feel it as much," she said.
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She said the disturbance became so intense that she spent the night elsewhere to get some rest. "Last night, I had to go and stay with a friend who lives down the road, just to get away from the noise because it was affecting my sleep."
Elsewhere in the area, residents voiced similar complaints. Milly Hardy, 37, said the noise was "really frustrating" and had become a frequent topic of conversation locally, while Amanda Smith, 60, called the steady background sound "annoying" and criticized what she described as a "lack of communication" from authorities.
More background
Arguments over the pumping station have stretched on for several years.
In 2023, campaigners in Cardiff's Llandaff North said the sewage facility would damage the community. Their effort to block it in court failed after the utility said the station was needed to cope with extra sewage from the Plasdwr scheme, the BBC reported.
The latest complaints focus on infrastructure built to support major housing growth and the burden it places on the people living closest to it.
Wilkins said the shaking leaves her feeling unwell, with headaches and earaches, and that the combined noise and vibration have also made her garden unusable.
During a visit by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the drilling registered 50 decibels, roughly the sound level of moderate rainfall. The noise could also be heard from the historic Melingriffith Water Pump, a little under a third of a mile away.
Hardy, who moved to the area with her family shortly before drilling began, said the project would "definitely" have influenced whether they chose to live there. She added that there had been "no real consideration to the locals and to the wildlife," the BBC said.
What's being done?
The utility says the 24-hour tunneling is required to "carry out this phase of the work safely," the BBC noted.
The company said it is also trying to limit the disruption residents experience.
A spokesperson said the utility has acoustic barriers in place and is continuously monitoring noise around the site.
The utility says the pumping station is necessary to handle sewage from the 7,000-home Plasdwr project without overloading the existing system.
Residents say the mitigation efforts are falling short, with complaints focusing not only on noise but also on persistent vibrations and poor communication.
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