Leeds City Council has been flooded with complaints from people who have been kept awake by the constant drone of strimmers and mowers in the middle of the night.

Darran Scott, 36, said he was furious after he and his two children, Thomas, nine, and Alex, five, have been kept up by the din twice in the early hours on two Sundays in a row.

Complaints are also thought to have been made by other homeowners in Somerdale Gardens and surrounding streets.

Warehouse worker Mr Scott said he contacted the local authority and was told that grass cutting would be carried out during the night along a two-mile stretch of the Stanningley bypass throughout the summer to prevent daytime traffic problems.

Mr Scott said: "I think this is an absolute disgrace. Not only is it very rude, it is completely hypocritical.

"If me or anyone else decided to start up a lawn mower and cut the grass at that time of the day I'm sure the council would be straight round with a noise abatement order. I don't know how they have got the cheek."

"I thought I was dreaming at first when I could hear hedge strimmers. But it made me so angry. I have to be up for work at 5am and the kids couldn't get back to sleep either."

Work has been taking place on a stretch of the bypass from the Henconner Lane junction towards Horsforth to the ASDA store.

The noctural work includes cutting the grass along the central reservation and cutting back hedges on either side of the dual carriageway.

Mr Scott added: "I rang the council up and they said it was to stop the road being shut down during the day and they had got permission from the police. But surely a decision like this should have been made after informing residents and a consultation process. "

A Leeds City Council spokesman said: "Unfortunately, there isn't a good time to cut the grass along the Stanningley bypass.

"The decision to work overnight was taken for health and safety reasons and only after lengthy discussions with the police, bus operators and highways officials.

"It is very costly to close a road so we have been using the opportunity to carry out other maintenance jobs and clear gullies which otherwise would cause disruption during the day. We apologise if nearby residents have been disturbed and will look again at the arrangements to see if, in future, this work can be carried out at another time."