NEIGHBOURS are furious at the “appalling” road resurfacing work which has left their street covered in dust and loose grit.

Barnet council has spent the past few weeks carrying out roadworks across the borough, as part of a £50 million programme.

But people living in Lodge Lane, North Finchley, have criticised the work as a “waste of money”, and say potholes are already starting to reappear in the road.

Daniela Boyce, 50, said: “It is a waste of our money. Nothing has been done with proper thought. It is appalling. When they did the work, they left loose chippings and dust everywhere. It was disgusting. They didn’t even tell us to shut our windows.

“The chippings could flick up and hit the children in the eye. We have now got elderly people too scared to walk up it.

“It’s causing damage underneath the cars as well. It’s been non-stop since it was resurfaced.”

Ms Boyce, an interior designer, started a petition last week calling on the council to resurface the road correctly. So far, it has gathered more than 100 signatures.

She added: “We are not getting good value. It is really frustrating. Residents are not being listened to.”

Helena Price, 83, said: “It is such a shame for the community. Dust was everywhere, it got into your house, as did the stones. It is no good for our health.”

Neighbours were also left frustrated at the automated replies they received from the highways team.

Each reply read: “Having investigated the issue you raised, our highways team have concluded that the work is not a priority at this time.

“We appreciate this is not the news you wanted to hear, but as we explained in an earlier email, we have far more requests for work than we have budget and therefore have to prioritise work so we deal with the most urgent.”

Sebnem Oz, 48, said: “We are fed up. There is not the proper communication going on. We are not getting answers.”

A spokesman for Barnet council said: “We are currently investing £50m improving our roads and pavements over the next five years in response to resident feedback that told us the condition of our highways should be a top priority.

“Part of our works includes future proofing several roads in the borough to prevent water from damaging the road and creating potholes. This widely used method involves coating the road with tar and then covering it with protective chippings.

“Once the chippings have been embedded into the road surface by people driving over them, our teams return to sweep the area to clear any loose chippings and repaint the road markings. If necessary, our teams will return for additional sweeping of the area. ”