FRUSTRATED residents are battling "roadworks hell" as a second set of works are carried out in the space of six months.

Anne Boleyn Drive, in Rochford, is currently having work completed to install new high-speed fibreoptic cables beneath the road as part of Virgin Media works, despite work only recently being completed by CityFibre for similar services.

Virgin Media has stated the road will only be closed for “a matter of days” but frustrated residents have queried why the work could not have been completed at the same time.

Robert Vinicombe, 72, said: “The works have been constant. It is happening again and again and what I just cannot understand is how whoever administers this is allowing it to happen.

“It is aggravating with our side roads, but these works often move to the main roads, where the traffic builds and it can take an hour to travel somewhere that would usually only taken you about ten minutes.

“I am frequently driving to visit my daughter and whenever you want to go, you are facing situations like this on our road.

“It impacts her ability to quickly travel to the hospital for instance.

“We are in fear that those unmanned traffic lights with reappear, I just find it all so appalling.

“Everyone should be contacted, and it should be done together, CityFibre laid the cables for Vodafone and BT, there must be a way to end this cycle of ridiculousness.”

Mr Vinicombe added that “Rochford is often chaos anyway, we have just faced the sewer break issues in Sutton Road that made it a struggle to get through Purdey’s as well.”

Works are currently set to take place from May 1 to May 15 along Anne Boleyn Drive and will allow Virgin customers “access to faster broadband speeds”.

A Virgin Media spokesperson: “We always aim to minimise disruption for residents when expanding our network.

“The works we are delivering on Anne Boleyn Drive, which will take a matter of days to complete, will increase consumer choice in Rochford and bring ultrafast and reliable broadband to more homes in the area.”