A6 project: Resident says road work is damaging family life

Gerry Donnelly and his wife moved into their home overlooking Lough Beg, near Toomebridge, 16 years ago.

The 67-year-old grandfather thought that the rural County Antrim setting would be "the final resting place, one of safety and solitude".

Not any more.

"At times we feel we're under attack on two fronts: at the back of the garden and to the side of our house," he told BBC News NI.

Mr Donnelly's house backs onto a section of the A6 dual carriageway construction project and he says noise from the building site has had a life-changing effect on his family.

The work to upgrade part of the main road between Belfast and Londonderry began in March and will take an estimated four years to complete.

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure, which is overseeing the project, said it was a "vitally important scheme" which would improve road safety.

They said disruption was "unavoidable" with a scheme of this size but its contractor had taken "mitigation measures" to reduce the impact on local residents.

The A6 scheme will create just over nine miles (14.7km) of new dual carriageway between Randalstown in County Antrim and Castledawson in County Londonderry.

On average, more than 18,000 vehicles travel along it on a daily basis.

But there is a long road ahead for those who live close to the route.

"This is day 110 of a project we were told will continue until 2021," Mr Donnelly said.

"Whilst I envisaged the potential for hassle in our daily life I seriously, seriously underestimated how it would change our lives."

Part of the site is vested land - a number of meadows which had been owned by farmers.

Now Mr Donnelly lives next door to a huge construction site.

"Noise from diggers and bulldozers and dump trucks is our wake up call every morning. I get up, it's in my head, and when I go to bed. It's become an obsession."

The work continues from 07:00 to 19:00 BST every day, with reduced hours over the weekends.

"They even work on bank holidays," said Mr Donnelly.

He added: "We're in the situation now where, believe it or not, we try to spend as much time away from our home to try and get some normality where none exists.

"People tell me what level of noise should be acceptable to me.

"I dictate in my house what levels of noise are acceptable to me - if the TV is too loud, I turn it down, if my grandchildren are making noise, I tell them to keep quiet. I can't do that here."

Mr Donnelly insists he was never opposed to the building of the road - just the preferred route, which happens to be in his backyard.

In a statement to BBC News NI, the Department of Infrastructure said the new dual carriageway would help to reduce congestion, speed up journey times and improve road safety.

"As with any scheme of this size, disruption is unavoidable and the department does recognise that there are some individuals who are more adversely affected than others.

"To seek to minimise the impact caused, mitigation measures, such as the earth bund, have been put in place and we will continue to monitor these closely to ensure they are as effective as possible."