Portslade: People kept awake by overnight railway works

Residents around Portslade Station were woken up by the “unreal” noise which “sounded like the Blitz” at around 3am on Sunday morning. They were angry they had been given no notice.

The “continuous” humming sound was said to have continued until around 7.30am, leaving many in the area with a sleepless night.

Network Rail has confirmed it was doing drainage works to prevent flooding. The company has apologised for not telling people beforehand.

One woman who lives in nearby Leicester Villas said she is considering selling her house due to disruption.

One of the vans in Portslade Station car park (Image: Michael Cherriman)

The resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I felt like I had a hangover. The noise travelled all around, it sounded like the Blitz.

“It started at 3am, I have never heard noises like it, I thought something bad was happening. I was woken up from it.

“It stopped for about 30 minutes then just carried on until 7.30am. The noise was just unreal. It was continuous and non-stop.

“The street was dead yesterday, people were trying to catch up on their sleep. There are a lot of nurses around here, many of who would have had work the next day.

“I went to bed at around 3pm on the Sunday as I was so tired.

“They have not given people warning, it's not good enough. A lot of people around here work on a Sunday morning. I am considering putting my house up for sale. This is not the first time.”

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Other people also complained about the loud noise.

One said it sounded like a “loud drone” while another person said it was “driving them crazy” in the Portland Road area.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “Over the weekend our teams have been undertaking key drainage work at Portslade Station to keep the railway running safely and reliably and free from flooding.

“We pride ourselves on ensuring residents are notified in advance of any nearby work however, on this occasion we have fallen short of our standards and not done this for which we’re very sorry.

“We would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while we completed this work.”