Residents living near a section of tram track were kept awake by chainsaw-wielding workers who trimmed trees overhanging the line late into the night.

Vital lopping work to cut boughs hanging over track near Lloyd Park was carried out between 2am and 4am on three consecutive nights.

Tramtrack said the work was essential and needed to be carried out at night to minimise disruption to its tram services and to badgers. But residents have complained about being kept awake by the noise.

Keith Kiernon lives with his mother, girlfriend and baby son in Lloyd Park Avenue, which backs on to the tram line.

He said: "Three nights in a row we were kept awake by the sound of chainsaws between 2am and 4am. My baby was disturbed and I was exhausted for work the next day. I complained many times but no one seemed to care about the fact that it was causing so much noise."

The work eventually stopped last Thursday.

Roger Harding, general manager of Tramtrack which runs the Tramlink network, said: "We had absolutely no alternative, otherwise we would have had to stop the trams for a few days and we have a statutory duty to run the trams.

"On that particular stretch of the track there is a badger control order and it is necessary to perform the work while the badgers are hibernating.

"The area along there had not been touched for about nine years and extensive work need to be carried out as a matter of health and safety.

"A few years ago we had a tree fall in front of the tram and we want to minimise the risk of that happening."

However, Mr Harding admitted residents were not notified of the disruption beforehand.

"We did send out letters to residents explaining what was going to happen, albeit belatedly," he said. "It was after the work had already started and we are definitely at fault in that respect, but we certainly apologise for any inconvenience.

"We were not expecting the works to carry on for as long as residents have claimed and we will be looking into this."