STOKE Heath residents protested overnight against thousands of motorway vehicles being diverted through their village.

The protesters lined the A38 Redditch Road on July 27, waving "slow down please" placards at passing drivers.

This week both sides of the M5 were diverted through the Bromsgrove village, making it "impossible" for the residents to sleep.

Alan Pugh, who lives in Redditch Road, said: "Last night, I counted 1,200 vehicles in one hour with a finger clicker and 85 percent of them were lorries."

Mr Pugh, 60, said residents are kept awake by the noise of vehicles at night.

"People now put earplugs in when the sleep but what about if their fire alarm goes off?" he said.

"It could lead to fatal errors as Doctors and nurses who live locally are going to work tired."

Mr Pugh said the noise was so loud last week that he had to close his windows, making the house too hot to sleep in.

The number of lorries passing through the village has apparently led one mother to move her son's bedroom to the back of the house.

Mr Pugh said he is also concerned about buildings shaking when lorries drive past, particularly the local cottages, some of which date back to the 1840s.

Bromsgrove district councillors Chris Bloore and Michael Thompson joined four residents at the protest, which was held between Worcester Road roundabout and the Hanbury Turn pub.

The diversions created by the M5 Smart Motorway project have caused people in other parts of the county to complain too.

Earlier this month locals in Martin Hussingtree said they were going through "hell on earth" as a result of diverted motorway traffic.

Video above: Footage of a previous incident of motorway diversions through Stoke Heath, caused by the M5 project.

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said they were working with the local councillor in Stoke Heath to erect vehicle-activated speed signs.

The spokesman said the county council also cooperates with Highways England to find suitable diversion routes, which are usually A-roads.

A Highways England spokesman said the motorway lanes are being resurfaced between junctions 4a and six and apologised for the inconvenience.

The spokesman said: “Safety is our number one priority and we need to close the carriageways to carry out the work safely.

"We alternate our work on different sections to try to reduce the impact of diverted traffic to residents.

"Traffic is diverted onto the most suitable approved diversion routes agreed with the relevant local authority."

Highways England said they were carrying out the works at an accelerated pace to minimise disruption and that they had given notice of the closures.

The M5 diversions have been occurring since work began on the Smart Motorway development in January.