This loud drilling noise that woke people up at 5.30am turned out to be the council washing the pavement.

Ana Finch first heard the noise outside her window in Charteris Road, Woodford Green on Monday morning (August 14).

The 25-year-old tweeted Redbridge Council to ask “how anyone is supposed to sleep” when the workers in The Broadway appeared to belong to one of the authority’s contractors.

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Photo: Ana Finch

A council spokesman said they would “look into the matter”, but the next morning around the same time, Ms Finch was “livid” to be woken up by a similar noise.

She said: “I’m absolutely livid it happened again the next morning, is this a joke?

“I’ve woken up both times and it has been 5.30am. It’s like a low drilling noise – it looks as though they’re using industrial pressure washers to clean the pavements.

“I’m not usually one to complain but when you have a full-time job and trying to function on less than six hours sleep it makes you irritable.”

Under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 excessive noise from construction or demolition work should be restricted to between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays.

If companies have to carry out noisy works outside those hours they have to be able to “demonstrate and justify the need to do so” and make neighbours aware 28 days before.

Redbridge Council has been contacted for comment.