A COUPLE say they haven't been able to use their garden for the last three months due to clouds of dust billowing from a nearby building site.

Peter and June Blake, who live on Kilbury Drive in Worcester, say the dust clouds are now a constant feature in the life of people living in the street since work to build 256 homes in the area began.

Work to build the homes started around three months ago after planning permission was secured by developers, Bloor Homes, in 2013.

Mr Blake, aged 66, said the dust thrown up by machinery working on the site is making the lives of he and his wife "miserable".

"My wife has asthma and the dust in the air is making it much worse, she can't go outside without having a coughing fit. We can't go in to the garden and enjoy the good weather because we just get clouds of dust blowing around us throughout the day. We can't hang out the washing because it gets filthy. The dust has been an issue since before Christmas but it has gotten a lot worse over the last few months. It's outrageous. We've complained to Environmental Health and the site managers and they keep on saying something will be done but nothing has been," he said.

"We've lived here for around 20 years. We've never had any trouble. We didn't want these houses to be built, but now that they are we accept that, but this dust is disgusting and it's going to be going on until the houses are built. I am basically praying for rain as damping down the dry earth will make it much better for us around here."

A spokesperson for Worcester Regulatory Services said Environmental Health are aware of the situation and are investigating.

Bloor Homes construction manager, Mark Shipley, said: “Bloor Homes has been working closely with members of the Kilbury Drive Residents’ Group since construction began at our Wildmoor development in Worcester.

“At our most recent meeting last week we discussed the possible impact of a lengthy dry spell on dust levels. We listened to residents’ concerns and outlined the action plan which we have put in place to address this.

“We are doing all we can to minimise any possible nuisance. We have enforced a 5mph speed limit on site and the team are using a water bowser to dampen down dust on a daily basis. We are also hiring a road sweeper with water suppression to clean the roads whenever this is needed and we are in the process of putting up temporary netting on parts of the boundary to create a barrier.

“Bloor Homes has signed up to the voluntary Considerate Constructors scheme and we are committed to making every effort to minimising disruption to local residents.”

Wildmoor is a development of 256 homes off Spetchley Road in Worcester. Construction began in May 2014 and the first residents moved in during February.