Families are protesting that noise and dust caused by work on the town centre redevelopment at Didcot are making life a misery.

Residents claimed the din from excavators and construction work, along with the dust, had made them virtual prisoners in their homes.

And householders claimed contractors were reneging on an agreement not to work on Saturday afternoons, on Sundays or after 6.30pm in the evenings.

Resident Carolyn Davey, said she and her son were suffering from dry coughs, which she blamed on the dust from the site. She added that when she tried to sell a car, she was told it was a write-off due to the damage caused to the paintwork by lime in the dust. "Just imagine what it must be doing to our lungs," she said.

A Taylor Woodrow spokesman said: "We are looking seriously into this case and the points raised by Mrs Davey, and have already instructed a full and detailed inquiry."

The council said the contractors had been given permission to work on one Sunday to finish a 'concrete pour' which had to be completed in one operation.