VIBRATIONS from heavy machinery on a major housing development is making nearby houses shake as if there is an earthquake, residents have claimed.

People who live near the Avant Homes site in Chester-le-Street claim hairline fractures have appeared in the walls of their Vigo Lane properties since work got underway earlier this year.

They are also concerned about the impact dust from the former industrial plant is having on their health, along with the disruption the scale of the operation is having on their quality of life.

Retired police officer June Thurgood has spent £750 hiring a surveyor to assess potential damage to her home and is spending £250 on a solicitor to give her legal advice.

The 54-year-old said: “It is quite frightening. You feel as though you are in an earthquake when they have the vibrating roller on. It is like living on a quarry site because of the work they have to do.”

The height of the houses, which are yards from existing properties, are also creating fears over the loss of privacy and the increased risk of flooding.

Retired laboratory supervisor Colin Foster, 65, said: “The main problem is the constant moving of the soil that makes it more like an opencast site than a building site.”

Durham County Council granted full planning permission for 123 homes on the former British Oxygen Co factory, next to the A167, along with outline planning permission for a further 80 houses in April.

An Avant Homes spokesman said: “Construction at our Barley Gate development is being carried out in strict compliance with actions agreed by Durham County Council.

“We have installed specialist equipment to monitor levels of dust and noise to ensure they stay within acceptable limits.”