AN EXASPERATED householder has demanded to know why repair work on a Craven railway viaduct came to a halt four months ago - and why a generator on the site is still going 24 hours a day.

Clapham resident Wayne Reddyhough, who lives near the viaduct in the village, said he was "really fed up" with the noise impact the generator is having - on himself and on nearby wildlife - and the effect the constant emissions are having on the environment.

He told the Craven Herald: "This is a ridiculous situation. The generator is the first thing I hear in the morning and the last at night. It's like having a double decker bus outside with its engine on all day, every day, spewing fumes into the atmosphere.

" There are usually a lot of birds around the river - ducks and even kingfishers - but they all seem to have moved away since this has been going on. The worst thing is not knowing when it's all going to stop

"This is an area of outstanding natural beauty. I wish they would just get on and finish the work. It's been months of disruption now."

Work on the railway bridge started last December but stopped about four months ago, Mr Reddyhough said.

He said he has contacted the contractors working at the site, Taziker Industrial, to ask why the work was not continuing.

He said he was told that the generator was running for the benefit of on-site security personnel.

A spokesman for Taziker said that the second phase of the work was starting "very soon", but there was not yet a projected time for the work to be finished.

He added that the company had done everything it could to minimise noise and disruption in the area.

The project is being undertaken on behalf of Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's rail infrastructure.