A woman got so fed up with overnight bypass works that she “snapped” and forced a halt by standing in front of a digger.
Dianne Davidson is one of several Marywell residents who say their lives are being made a misery by the all-hours operation to complete the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).
Contractors on the site issued letters to nearby households in November which stated they had been given the go-ahead to work 24-hours-a day for a 12-month period.
Transport Scotland has apologised for the inconvenience and commissioned an independent noise analysis of the works at the Charlestone flyover section of the A90.
But a councillor has called for an environmental health investigation amid claims health is being affected by a lack of sleep.
Mrs Davidson, 55, lives on Wellington Drive in the Marywell estate with her husband Bruce.
After enduring the noise all night but being unable to get to sleep, she “lost the plot” and walked over to one of the machines.
She said: “It started at around 9pm on the Friday and carried on all night. By 5am I had had enough.
“Bruce was offshore, so I went over the embankment and I walked across the dual carriageway and headed for the machine.
“I said I wasn’t moving until they stopped – I just stood in front of the machine until it stopped.
“I have been put on Valium now so I can sleep – we never agreed to this. I am a complete bag of nerves.”
Following the incident and a subsequent complaint from Mr and Mrs Davidson, the residents received a letter from the AWPR site office in Stonehaven which promised to impose a curfew on “breaking activities” of 11pm.
However, Mr Davidson said after “a few days respite…they started breaking rocks again”.
Neighbour John Hastie said his four-year-old daughter was having trouble sleeping.
“It can be like a pounding noise – the whole house shakes,” he said.
A spokesman for the Marywell residents group said: “There are many here who are getting very stressed by the noise. One of my neighbours is pregnant and she has said that the lack of sleep is really affecting her now.”
Councillor Ian Mollison said: “I have urged the environmental services to investigate this and take the necessary steps to help.”
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “We understand that these works are progressing within the conditions of the approvals obtained. However, given the concerns raised, we will ask the contractor to update local residents on the timing and nature of any future planned works.”
