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Couple claim AWPR damage to house has left them in a £4,000 black hole

A couple claim they been forced to pay out £4,000 after AWPR contractors damaged their home.

Audrey Ross-Barnett and Nick Barnett claim their Balmedie home shook “like an earthquake” while contractors were surfacing the road just a few feet away.

Mrs Ross-Barnett, who runs a dog grooming business, says she watched as framed photographs and glasses fell and smashed around her as the works began.

And a few weeks later, they discovered cracks in the walls and ceiling of their extension – which a structural engineer said could have been caused by vibrations from the roadworks.


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Workers were replacing the road, just off the new B977 Belhelvie stretch, to accommodate the newly-dualled A90 Balmedie to Ellon route when the problems started in June.

Mrs Ross-Barnett, who runs a dog grooming business, said it was so noisy that her terrified dog ran and hid under the bed.

A few weeks later, Mrs Ross-Barnett was dusting and turned the main light on in the hall when she noticed cracks running along the juncture of the wall and ceiling.

It later emerged the problem was even more severe in the living room extension, while there was also damage in her husband’s study.

The couple commissioned a structural engineer whose report confirmed that the construction could have caused the damage inside, while there was also a “reasonable probability” it had led to cracks on the outside of the property too.

Now they claim they have been forced to pay £4,200 to have the damage fixed and their home re-decorated, just five years after their extension was built.

The initial estimate had to be revised by painter and decorators, after they realised multiple plasterboard nails had popped out and had to be replaced.

And, despite lodging a claim with the AWPR compensation team in November, they have had no response –  with repeated e-mails seeking clarification ignored – despite a promise of a response within 28 days.

Mrs Ross-Barnett said: “It’s cost us a small fortune to re-do the living room.

“We’ve not asked for anything for the outside, even though we would be entitled to. We’re very house proud so that’s the most important thing to us.

“It’s been a very stressful experience, I have fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis, so it’s been quite debilitating.

“That’s why we got the living room done, because of my nerves, I was really panicking about what would happen during the winter.

“We were told that the crews should be dead-rolling, which means the vibrating would be turned off, but once their boss told them and went off to another job they just started again.

“I had to leave the house for two or three hours while it was going on because it was bad, the dogs were terrified.”

The couple’s MP, Colin Clark, has now pledged to support their cause.

The Gordon MP said: “This is a very serious claim that the AWPR compensation team should be responding to immediately.

“The structural engineer’s report makes clear this could have been caused by construction work on the bypass.

“The AWPR will provide huge benefit for the north-east, but there has been a significant impact on many local residents and landowners.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman, commenting on behalf of contractors Aberdeen Roads Limited, said: “Aberdeen Roads Limited is required to deal directly with claimants with respect to all claims in relation to the construction and operation of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty project.

“It would not be appropriate for Transport Scotland to be involved in the process or to comment on the particular aspects of this claim.

“However, ARL has assured us that they will be contacting the owners of this property shortly.”