ESSENTIAL works to buttress a wall on Old Exeter Road in Tavistock caused a bit of a 'stink' last week.

Contractors for Devon County Council have been clearing vegetation and carrying out investigation work on the retaining wall which backs on to the garden of the Times office.

The substantial wall, which was originally made from dry stone and rocks from the bed of the River Tavy, was in danger of collapsing, along with part of the road above, unless repairs were carried out.

However, a man whose flat window directly overlooks the works said diesel fumes from the drilling operation have been coming directly into his apartment as well as a lot of noise caused by the works.

Nicholas Kew, 48, a software developer and author, said he works at a desk by the window, and this has been interrupted by the fumes and noise.

On his web blog Mr Kew, said: An exhaust pointing upwards is presumably designed to protect the workers from being poisoned by the thick clouds of diesel . . . Perhaps we should require the exhaust to point downwards, so that the workers' interests (health and safety) are aligned with the neighbours'.'

A spokesman for Devon County Council engineering design group apologised for any inconvenience.

He said: The work has been sporadic as we had exploratory drilling to determine the state of the wall but from now on there will be no more heavy machinery.

'We have used a drilling rig to go into the foundations to determine the make up of the ground. There will be more drilling in the next couple of weeks but this will be into the core of the wall horizontally to find out its depth. We also intend to take the parapet wall down from next week.'

The spokesman said the works were essential not only to stop the wall collapsing but also to support the road above.

Although he could not give an exact date of when the work was to finish he did say there was two weeks' worth of repairs to be completed.

The spokesman added that one of the engineering team would be happy to meet Mr Kew to discuss the works in hand.