VIDEO Felixstowe homes are suffering from shake, rattle and roll in the middle of the night as rocks thunder on to the shore to build up sea defences.Residents are suffering from sleepless nights, shaking walls and even ornaments jumping from their shelves as contractors build the new £10 million sea defences.

FELIXSTOWE homes are suffering from shake, rattle and roll in the middle of the night as rocks thunder on to the shore to build up sea defences.

Residents are suffering from sleepless nights, shaking walls and even ornaments jumping from their shelves as contractors build the new £10 million sea defences.

Householders say when the rocks are tipped out of the sea barge onto the shore at high tide in the middle of the night the sound is so loud it wakes them up, and vibrates buildings so much they fear structural damage could be done to their properties.

Gillian Moseley, of South Hill, said: “This work is causing a very great deal of concern to those householders on the seafront near to the leisure centre as the shock waves are terrific when they drop the boulders.

“My husband and I have spent a lot of money in the last year to repair stanchions holding up the whole of the front of the property and this is no joke what is happening to our houses.

“I was asleep the other night and was awoken by this rock-dropping and the whole party wall, including the high chimney, vibrated dramatically and we are not able to get back to sleep.”

Eileen Turley, of Undercliff flats, Wolsey Gardens, said: “It's terrible, quite terrifying - it sounds like a building collapsing when they drop those rocks, like an explosion.

“I have been woken up in the middle of the night and had to take sleeping tablets to get back to sleep.”

Web designer Sean Day, 19, of Russell Road, was woken up and saw some of his ornaments shaken from his shelves and smashed.

He said: “The whole building was shaking - I was told there could be mild vibrations but this was not mild at all.

“They have got to do the sea defences but it would be better if they delivered this rock in daytime.”

The Environment Agency has written to apologise to residents and ask them to be patient. Once low tides coincide with daytime the noise should reduce.

Project Manager Andrew Rouse said by working round the clock seven days a week there should be a beach for people to enjoy by the August bank holiday.

He said: “Unfortunately with the tides falling as they do at the moment the noise levels at night have been greater than we would have wished and we would like to apologise to those affected.

“If we didn't work during the night works would take more than twice as long and I'm sure people would agree that the sooner we can get it completed, the less nuisance it will cause people in the long run and for a good result at the end.”

Have you been affected by the rock deliveries? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk