A HOUSING developer has been warned for working outside of its contracted hours.

Persimmon Homes was given a breach of condition notice after its workers were found unloading lorries at around 7am, an hour before the agreed working time at land off Knotts Drive in Colne.

The contractor had began preparing to start work on building 182 houses at the site after permission was given the greenlight in 2015.

Cllr Graham Waugh, chairman of Colne and District committee, and a councillor for the area on Pendle Council, said residents had complained about the level of noise coming from the site before workers were due to start.

He said: “There was an ongoing problem, which had been observed by quite a few different people living on Knotts Drive and the surrounding areas.

“We had found evidence lorries had been unloading at around 7am, before the agreed time of 8am.

“The time conditions were put in place to allow the planning development to go ahead.

“They’ve had a warning and if it happened again we would be in a position to prosecute.”

Plans to build the homes were given the go-ahead after a 15-year battle with residents who were against the decision.

A scheme to build housing on the site was refused on appeal in 2000 and again in 2012.

Neighbours in Knotts Lane fought since 1999 over the possibility of housing on the leafier outskirts of the town.

An initial application, for 201 homes, was lodged by Beazer Homes, which became Persimmon Homes in June 2000.

Neil Watson, planning, building control and licensing services manager at Pendle Council, said: “Persimmon Homes was given the notice after complaints from residents about noise at the site in Knotts Drive, Colne, outside of the agreed working hours.”

A Persimmon Homes spokesman said the company had not yet received the notice so they would not be able to formally respond but they have taken the opportunity to remind all personnel using the site of the approved working hours.