Loud beeping from vehicles in a Friern Barnet development continues to keep people awake after being assured the noise would be replaced by flashing lights.

The site to be named Oakleigh Road South depot, formerly known as Abbots depot, is being developed by Barnet Council and Willmott Dixon to create a site from which waste and recycling collection will operate.

But noise from vehicles has been waking residents at 5.30am, despite being given assurances that beeping would be replaced by safety lights.

Residents Against Abbots Depot member Stamo Ampatielou, who lives on Marne Avenue, said: “When I was working from home over the last few months I had a continuous beep noise penetrating my brain, and from last week we had it starting at 5.25 am in the morning.”

She added: “When we were fighting the depot we were assured that the vehicles would be using some sort of light when reversing so we would not hear the continuous beep.

“Now all this seems to be changing as health and safety rules need to be followed and we have to suffer because of it.”

RAAD campaigned against the site’s development, saying that the new depot will mean their quality of life will be "degraded" by air pollution, noise and stench.

Labour councillor for Brunswick Park Kathy Levine said: “When the proposals for the depot were being made we were assured that residents would not need to endure this reversing beeping noise and alternative safe reversal mechanisms (lights) would be used.”

She added: “This is not acceptable for our residents to be subjected to this continuous noise and we expect Barnet Council to keep its promise to them.”

Willmott Dixon have said that the removal of a large crawler crane lead to the beeping in the early hours, and that construction on the site is still ongoing.

Willmott Dixon spokesman Andrew Geldard said: “Police guidelines mean that the crane had to be on the M25 before 7am or after 7pm, and so to reduce the impact on traffic around Oakleigh Road South a decision to close the road during the early hours was taken.”

“As part of this procedure, residents may have heard beeping in the early hours. We would like to apologise for any irritation or inconvenience that this may have caused – this will not be an ongoing occurrence.”

The video shows the noise on the Mill Hill depot, which is being moved to the Oakleigh Road South site and will be fully functioning this summer.