A COUPLE living just yards from a giant building project to redevelop a Wimborne school say they are “sick to the back teeth” of broken promises from County Hall schools chiefs and building contractors.

Francis and Anne Raven-Vause, whose National Trust cottage abuts Queen Elizabeth’s School, say the final straw came when contractors began moving heavy machinery outside their back door at 7.30am on a Sunday.

“The foreman came two hours later and told us they weren’t breaching planning consent because they were working on the Sustainability Education Centre and not the main site.

“But they were moving sand from the main site outside my house. They’re just splitting hairs,” said Mr Raven-Vause.

A planning application to extend weekly working hours to 68 from Monday to Saturday is expected to go before Dorset County Council’s planning committee in the second week of July.

Contractors say the extended hours will cut working time by one month and see work completed by Easter 2011, but residents say even that would see the job finished two years after they were promised.

Mr Raven-Vause has now raised a formal objection to the extended hours, reversing his agreement given after reassurances made by council officers when they visited his home.

“They sit down with you and say they will respect you and then just go ahead and do whatever they want to do. From day one, they told us there would be no working at weekends and public holidays.

“We have never wanted to stop this development. We think it’s great that Dorset is going to have such an exemplar school. “But we are sick to the back teeth of broken promises,” said Mr Raven-Vause.

A spokesman for Dorset County Council apologised to residents, adding that contractors had been keen to ensure that work on the SEC is completed on schedule and had been careful not to cause any disturbance.

“However, we have reminded them of the conditions of the planning consent, which does not include Sundays, and they said they will strictly observe the allowed working times in future,” the spokesman said.