KINGSWAY gardens residents are spending weeks with restricted access to their garages, gardens and daily living as its freeholder continues its latest round of significant works to the estate.

Housing provider Aster Group has set up scaffolding around the blocks which residents say is causing serious disruption since work on some courts began last month.

Tudor Court resident Steve Loader told The Advertiser it is a “stressful time.”

He said: “Just before Christmas they started scaffolding on York Court and they had all the scaffolding up across my balcony, so I keep my curtains closed all the time and it's dark in there.

“Parking is also a big issue now, I can’t get into my garage where I’ve got my tools and it takes ages to walk round. We can’t park our cars by the garages, we have to park under trees where we keep getting excrement on our cars, which we have to put up with.

“It's an everyday inconvenience I need my garage clear, I need my tools I’m a builder, it's not good enough."

Aster are currently carrying out “long-term” works to each of the five Kingsway Garden blocks, which is expected to take 60 weeks to complete since it began in April last year.

The housing provider It issued each leaseholder with up to £27,000 bill for major maintenance works to be carried out on the estate, which is currently being disputed in an ongoing tribunal set to come to an end this month.

Fellow Tudor Court resident Angela Thorpe said the worry of the bill and ongoing maintenance has caused her to “double her medication.”

Since the works started she is not allowed to access her garden between 9am and 5pm, leaving her dog, Babe, barking all day inside the house.

Ms Thorpe said: “It's a nightmare, I've got to live in the dark, I can’t open my curtains with blokes out the back and front of the flat, no curtains open at all.

“[Babe] isn't allowed in the garden, I have to keep her inside, of course she’s barking and barking, and I’m sitting in the dark, which is driving me mad and she’s driving me mad.

“You can’t imagine how wearing it is really, it's going to go on for weeks and weeks, and they are so far behind schedule I don’t think they are going to finish when they are supposed to.

“I take myself off to stay with friends at every opportunity. With the dog, the parking, the noise, I just have to get away. I can come home at weekends when there’s no building work.”

Aster has apologised for the impact the works are having on the area.

A spokesperson said: “Because of the type of work needed, we need to put scaffolding up at the front and rear of the buildings. This does mean that some garages can’t be accessed by vehicles whilst this work is being carried out, however it is possible to access most garages on foot.

“We try to give residents as much notice as possible when garage use is restricted and have given residents the option of using a garage in another block whilst access to their own is restricted.

“We know that parking is an issue, not just in Kingsway Gardens but in the area as a whole and we apologise for the impact the works are having on parking in the area.

“We’re working with the local school and with the local neighbourhood policing team to help find a solution and would ask that residents park considerately and avoid parking on paths and on grass verges.”