ANGRY neighbours are close to blowing their tops after been 'rudely awoken' early in the morning by a noisy retail park leaf blower.
Sleep-deprived residents who live near Elgar Retail Park in Blackpole Road in Worcester have been woken up by the leaf blower every morning for two weeks, sometimes as early as 5.30am.
Meanwhile, they have shared video footage which shows the loud device blowing the leaves off the retail park onto roads, pavements and drains for taxpayers to foot the clean-up bill.
Some residents, who did not wish to be named, were concerned the dead leaves could block drains in Blackpole Road, an area they say is already prone to flooding.
Warndon and Elbury Park city councillors have said retail park managers need to show more consideration and be 'better neighbours'.
Those who live opposite the retail park, managed by Legal & General, said they have received the rude awakening after previous noise problems in March caused by resurfacing work at the same site, home to a number of big stores including KFC, Costa and Argos.
Cllrs Jill Desayrah and Ed Kimberley have been speaking to residents about their concerns.
When they visited the retail park car park, it was largely clear of leaves but large piles had accumulated in the hedges at the border which the councillors said was public land, maintained and cleared at the taxpayers' expense.
Cllr Desayrah said: "Here we are again, Legal & General passing out work to subcontractors who don't care about the residents. It's like them having the resurfacing work all over again. It is waking residents up. Masons Drive is directly opposite the retail park. If anyone is suffering, it will be them."
She has reported the matter to Worcestershire Regulatory Services and has argued there should be 'some proper sanction' for retail park managers who act in this way.
Cllr Desayrah stressed she was not 'anti-business' but was against the lack of consideration being shown to residents, some of whom had lived in nearby houses since before the retail parks were built.
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She also said, because the leaves were being blown from private land onto public land, it was effectively 'fly-tipping on council property'.
"This is private land and they have a responsibility to get rid of the leaves in the proper way, not dump them on public land," she said.
She added: "Residents feel like they don't matter, that they are 'collateral damage'."
Cllr Kimberley said: "As long as it's profitable for big companies to behave badly, they're going to behave badly. All we want is for them to be good neighbours.
"When I saw the video it was a case of 'oh no. not again!' It's not the first time the park has been a bad neighbour. I hope it will be the last but I'm not very hopeful about it."
We have approached Worcestershire Regulatory Services and Legal & General for a comment.
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