Builder rips up road hump

Mr Beesley used a digger to destroy the crossing

An angry resident has used a digger to tear up a raised road crossing which he blamed for keeping him and his wife awake at night.

Builder Ian Beesley, 41, from Oxford, said he complained to the council on numerous occasions about the noise of lorries going over the sleeping policeman in Ferry Hinksey Road.

He reported his actions to police after attacking the hump with a digger and pneumatic drill on Saturday.

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said: "A man has been arrested and released on police bail until 11 December on suspicion of criminal damage."

'Cheesed off'

He told a local newspaper: "I was cheesed off. I've been complaining about it to everyone for ages and they just haven't listened.

"If I get nicked and go to prison, so what? If they put the hump back in the same place, I will dig it up again."

The crossing was put outside the couple's home as part of a traffic-calming scheme allowing children to cross the road safely.

Crossing safe

But Mr Beesley claims he and his wife, Lillian, found it hard to sleep because of the vibration from noisy lorries and the sound of screeching air brakes.

Oxfordshire County Council's executive member for transport and highways, David Robertson, said: "We are finding out what the legal position is and are having discussions with the police."

The council says in the meantime it has made the crossing safe.