Millport residents have raised concerns over the “deeply unpleasant” noise created by work on the town’s flood protection scheme.

The first stages of the multi-million pounds scheme are well under way, with significant changes to the seafront near Crocodile Rock.

However, at a recent meeting of Cumbrae Community Council, residents aired concerns about noise pollution from generators at the work site at all times of the day and night.

Gregor Harvie, special advisor to CCC, believes generators should not be running 24/7, especially in residential areas.

He said:  “The generators are causing a lot of concern, with relatively loud humming at all times of the day and night including weekends when no work is going on.

“We want to know what is being done to reduce the hours they are operating, and why it hasn’t been possible to connect into the grid.

“I’ve worked on a lot of construction sites and in residential areas you don’t get generators running at random hours of the day.”

Community councillor Keith Hammond, who lives near the works, says the noise has not quietened despite assurances from staff on site.

He explained: “I live on Kames Bay, and the noise coming from the site is deeply unpleasant, and pretty horrendous.

“At this time of year we all want to get outside in our back gardens, but there is no enjoyment when you can hear that noise.

“I was told that the generators would be tamed down over time, but the level of noise is exactly the same as it was at the beginning.”

Mark Ferguson, one of the North Ayrshire Council staff overseeing the project, said that he would work with contractor Mackley to explore all options to improve the noise for nearby residents.

He said: “We are required to provide welfare for the staff, and although they should be working within the agreed times, I appreciate that hasn’t always been the case.

“The contractor made arrangements to have a battery storage backup for the generator, to provide power to the welfare unit out of hours.

“However the battery time for this is limited, so we are looking at options to extend its capacity, as well as moving the generator further away from the houses.

“The idea is that the welfare unit will move as the works move along the seafront, so creating a permanent power connection to the grid is not feasible.”