Residents in a village left "devasted" by HS2 claim life has been made hell by the "monster" concrete works which has left people unable to sell their homes.

Fuming locals in Water Orton, Warks., - which is considered the worst affected county by HS2 - say the ongoing building works have "destroyed" their once-peaceful rural community.

Some have reported their homes being left damaged as a result of noisy heavy machinery vibrating their properties - which a Ukrainian refugee said was "louder than the bombs in Kyiv".

Families had been moving away from the once-picturesque village to such an extent that its primary school - already moved to accommodate HS2 - is cutting its capacity.

But other homeowners have told how they have been left "in limbo" by being unable to sell their properties because "estate agents now won't touch us."

Residents remaining there have told of the daily nightmare at living in such close proximity to the controversial high speed rail line and their fears for the future. 

Dad-of-three Edward Franklin, 60, an engineer, lives with his wife Linda, 57, had planned to downsize their home once their three daughters had grown up.

But they say "no estate agent will touch it" due to how close they live to the construction site.

Edward said: "We have lived here for 29 years, our three children grew up here, and we remember the fields all around. 

"The vibrations from the work cause our house to shake and has led to cracks appearing in our plaster, floor tiles, wall tiles and our ceilings.

"There's 11 properties on the street who have all reported the same. We can't sit in out garden because of the dust either.

"We had a builder assess outside the damage and said was around £7,000 roughly to repair, we held off on decorating because of the works by HS2 and they still haven't sent loss adjuster round.

"But is hard to fight what seems to be a faceless organisation."

Wife Linda, a retired nurse, told the BBC: "It's destroyed our home, I'm embarrassed about home, it's falling apart.

"I dread coming home, it's just destroying every part of it.

"The minute they know where we are, they've said categorically because of HS2 they can't market it, nobody will put a mortgage on it, the only way we'll get a buyer is a cash buyer.

"On a good day it's frustrating, on a bad day it's devastating, I could cry.

"We are stuck, we're just in limbo. It feels like there's no end to it, there's no way out of it all."

Locals also say dust and dirt reaches into gardens as surrounding countryside is carved up and work on a 3.5 mile long tunnel has resulted in a "rotten-egg" type smell lingering over the area.

Felicitas Freeman, a 67-year-old retired company director and economist, said her life had been "destroyed" by the HS2 project.  

She said: "You just cannot prepare yourself for the noise at it varies in intensity so much. 

"Its like we are collateral damage in the supposed national interest and life is pretty miserable as a result. 

"I took in a lady from Ukraine called Tanya for a while and she said the noise was worse than the bombs in Kiev. 

"I live in constant dread - sometimes my dog cowers howling under the table. The severity, pitch and longevity of the noise is always changing.

"When they started with their equipment, I thought I was having a heart attack and my chest felt compressed.

"I spoke to my neighbour who said he'd had the same sensation too.  

"It causes really deep vibrations and causes the ground to shake.  

"There's also an awful smell in the air from the soil being dug up for the tunnel. I doubt they even did an environmental impact assessment.

"It is constant and they also work at night, so it affects your sleep, which then affects your body and your mind.  

"I'd invite anyone to spend a week here and see how long they lasted. It is hellish."

Another local resident, gran-of-one Joyce Parkinson, 63, added: "This was a stunning village before HS2.

"But now we're surrounded by a building site. Our beautiful countryside has been carved up."

Last year, the government confirmed the high-speed rail project would not be completed as planned by 2033, blaming mismanagement by the Conservatives.

HS2 said they acknowledged some people would experience effects as a result of construction and urged residents to continue to talk to local engagement teams.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We take our responsibilities to local communities very seriously and our CEO, Mark Wild, met with local councillors recently to hear their concerns. 

"We try to minimise the impacts of construction wherever possible and have built a haul road to take construction traffic off local roads and ensure heavy goods vehicles doesn't travel through Water Orton village or pass people's homes.

"We've also listened carefully to local residents and introduced a range of measures based on their feedback. 

"Additional noise mitigation, road sweeping, window cleaning, and access to car washing facilities are just some of the measures now in place, and we encourage the residents to keep talking to us so we can act on their concerns."