Residents in a Warwickshire village left "destroyed" by HS2 claim rural life has been shattered by the "monster" concrete works which a Ukrainian refugee said was "louder than the bombs in Kyiv."

Angry locals in Water Orton - which is considered the worst affected county by HS2 - say the ongoing building works are making life hell in their once-peaceful community.

Some have reported their homes being left damaged as a result of heavy machinery vibrating their properties - while others have been left unable to sleep at night. 

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

But 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. 

They 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.  

"For five years, I've been on anti-anxiety tablets to cope with the vibrations.

"On one occasion I thought I was having a heart attack due to the vibrations felt from the works 

"I've had to pay £7,000 in emergency repairs to fix damage caused to my roof by the vibrations. The tiles were falling off. I asked HS2 to pay half the bill and they refused to pay.

"HS2 said they would pay if I signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which would bind me for any damages caused by work. 

"It would have stopped my talking to my neighbours about it. I refused, it's unlawful.

"We have been battling this since 2011, I help found the Stop HS2 group, but how can you really fight the richest corporations with the deeper pockets.

"We should be compensated but we haven't had a penny, and I don't expect we will.

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

Dad-of-three Edward Franklin, 60, an engineer, lives with his wife Linda, 57, at a property believed to be the nearest private house in the village to the train line on Attleboro Lane. 

He 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.

"Lots of people have been moving out of the village, the school has had to adjust their class sizes as so many people have left because of HS2.

"The only people we can sell our home to is HS2 but the only offer we had wasn't very good and we will not stand by and be bullied by them."

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. So many people are moving away and I fear it's going to become a ghost town."

The Reform administration at Warwickshire County Council last week called on HS2 to introduce a package of compensation for for communities affected with daily disruption.

The authority said residents in Water Orton and neighbouring Coleshill had 'shown more patience than any community should ever be asked to', with dust, a fishy smell and the 'constant roar of HGVs'

Councillor Jennifer Warren, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: "When our residents look out of the window they see a monster growing out of the ground, triumph of civil engineering."

"For years the people of Water Orton and Coleshill have watched as this concrete giant consumed our ancient woodlands, disrupted our heritage and now stands over our homes.

"This monster isn't just made of concrete, it's fed by the constant roar of HGVs, the vibration of heavy machinery and the relentless disruption to our road network."

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."