NOISE pollution officers have been asked to investigate complaints about the new Oxford city centre Tesco store in St Aldate’s.

Neighbours of the store say they are being woken every morning at 6am, when deliveries are made.

Resident, including students at a Queen’s College annexe, have complained to the company about large metal cages being unloaded, seven mornings a week.

When the Oxford Mail reported the story in June, Tesco said it would try to resolve the problem with neighbours.

But Jonathan Ungar and his wife Eleanor, who live in St Aldate’s, say they are still being robbed of their sleep.

And they have contacted Oxford City Council’s environmental health team to get noise levels at 6am monitored.Mr Ungar, 45, who works as a translator, said: “Throughout the summer we have not been able to open our bedroom window.

“We spoke to Tesco, who told us they would look into the possibility of later deliveries, but we have heard nothing .

“The metal cages are still going up and down the ramps. Nothing has changed for the residents.

“We want the council to measure the noise levels at such an unsocial hour.”

He said the early morning disturbance had left him and his wife feeling helpless and depressed.

Mrs Ungar, who also works as a translator, suffers from a neurological disorder called myoclonus, which is similar to epilepsy.

Mr Ungar said the condition is made worse by lack of sleep.

The couple have spent years turning the former Elizabeth restaurant into their home, with the building dating from the 1560s.

Some students living in the Queen’s College accommodation block in Speedwell Street, next door to Tesco, complained that they suffered lack of sleep in the run-up to their exams.

The Tesco store opened 12 months ago on the site of the former Solus Lighting shop.

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “We are aware of the complaints.

“We have been in contact with Tesco and identified some possible improvements that can be made. However, we are waiting for diary sheets to be returned to us by the resident to understand the frequency of the problem.

“Tesco did not require planning permission to use the former lighting shop as a supermarket.

“The only applications which we had to determine in May 2010 were for the insertion of an ATM machine, alterations to the shop front and advertisement consents.”

Tesco says it is bound by highways restrictions which limit when it can deliver.

Spokesman Maxine Crawford said: “We are not allowed to make deliveries between 7.30am and 6pm.”