A grandmother has complained her £350,000 dream home ‘constantly shakes’ as lorries pass along the busy 70mph A-road just nine feet from the fence that borders her back garden.
Jackie McCormack, 58, moved into the ‘absolutely beautiful’ detached three-bed home in Coleshill, near Birmingham, at the end of February.
She said she and her husband spent their first night in the house, which borders the A446 Lichfield Road, on a Friday but by the next morning ‘it was absolutely horrendous’.
The couple viewed the home seven times before deciding to buy, but did not think the road would cause a problem because during early visits on Saturday mornings it had not yet ‘woken up’.
They soon realised the thundering of commuting cars and lorries could be heard weekdays between 5.30am and 8.30pm and on Saturday and Sundays boy racers reached speeds of up to 100mph.
Jackie McCormack (pictured in her garden), 58, moved into the ‘absolutely beautiful’ detached three-bed home in Coleshill, near Birmingham, at the end of February
She said she and her husband spent their first night in the house, which borders the A446 Lichfield Road, on a Friday but by the next morning ‘it was absolutely horrendous’. Pictured, a lorry travels along the road nine feet from Mrs McCormack’s garden fence
The thundering of commuting cars and lorries could be heard weekdays between 5.30am and 8.30pm and on Saturday and Sundays boy racers reached speeds of up to 100mph, she said. Pictured, the house next to the road
She denied accusing the estate agent of ‘duping’ her, but added: ‘If it had been about 2pm, we would have said “what the hell” and we wouldn’t have touched it with a barge pole.
‘I’m not blaming the planners [either], but how they got planning permission to build a house so close to the road, I will never know.’
Mrs McCormack wants the council to install crash barriers and reduce the speed limit to 40mph so her grandson is safe to play in the garden.
She added: ‘I wouldn’t allow my grandson to play outside, it’s too scary. It’s the speed at which the juggernauts go past, it’s the speed of the racers, they’re doing wheelies, it’s absolutely shocking.
‘I didn’t realise there was an injunction regarding boy racers on the A446, they don’t take any notice of it,’ she added.
Mrs McCormack wants the council to install crash barriers and reduce the speed limit to 40mph so her grandson is safe to play in the garden. Pictured, the house is circled
The couple now have to wear earplugs to bed and wash their windows up to four times a week because of the dust
‘The [boy racers] started at 11am on the Saturday and went right the way through to 4am on Sunday, hitting speeds of 90 – 100mph.
‘On the Monday, it started with the heavy good vehicles – my house was constantly shaking. You don’t get any respite at all, it’s relentless. It’s like living next to a motorway.’
The pollution from the road is so severe Mrs McCormack says she could write her name in the dust that travels through her converter fan to settle in her en suite.
The couple decided to move from a large Victorian home in Kings Heath because they dreamed of living in a detached property.
They initially put in an offer on a four-bedroom new build on the same estate priced at £375,000, but changed their mind when a three-bed came up for £25,000 less.
‘We absolutely fell in love with the house,’ she said.
The couple now have to wear earplugs to bed and wash their windows up to four times a week because of the dust.
She said: ‘The HGVs are absolutely horrendous, and the pollution that comes out of them, it’s disgraceful.
‘I’m washing my windows three or four times a week, it’s disgusting. If the pollution is going onto our windows and our cars, what are we breathing in?’
She denied accusing the estate agent of ‘duping’ her, but added: ‘If it had been about 2pm, we would have said “what the hell” and we wouldn’t have touched it with a barge pole.’ Pictured, the house during construction
Warwickshire County Council said it is aware of the problems and will consider them ‘very carefully’ to recommend possible solutions. Pictured, Mrs McCormack and the road
She is now lobbying Warwickshire County Council, which is responsible for the road, for stronger safety measures.
She said: ‘I’m going to fight to the nail to get this sorted out. I’m not moving, I can’t move because nobody would buy the house.
‘They’ve said they haven’t had any crashes in years, but I’m not prepared to take that risk. They have to reduce the speed, they have to.’
Warwickshire County Council said it is aware of the problems and will consider them ‘very carefully’ to recommend possible solutions.
A spokesperson said: ‘A meeting is currently being arranged with various stakeholders to discuss this.
‘Obviously, there is no guarantee that it will be possible to provide any measures, but we will consider the issues raised very carefully and aim to recommend possible solutions.’
MailOnline has contacted the estate agents for comment.