Residents say they are at the end of their tether after being blasted by the sound of lorries’ horns at all hours.

Families at Aycliffe have also been suffering from the potentially deadly silent effects of diesel fumes when the trucks are queued up during Dover TAP (Traffic Assessment Project).

Now they say their sleep is being disrupted two to three times a week, day and night, by the truckers’ horns.

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Lorries are at times queued up during the traffic control system, which holds back lorries in a queue at traffic lights on the A20 when the road into the town gets too congested.

Residents have pleaded with Highways England to move TAP further up the A20, away from the estate, but were told it could not be done because of “health and safety”.

Householder Gary Dodd said: “When TAP is in place you can taste the diesel fumes in your mouth and the lorries’ horns can go on overnight, causing residents on the estate to have sleepless nights.

Video: Residents are at the end of their tether

“They are 20 yards from our estate and 20 yards from the sheltered accommodation Sunny Corner.”

Mr Dodd explained that the lorries sound their horns when they are not moving or when other trucks pass them on the second lane.

He added: “What is going to happen in 10 years’ time when freight is predicted by Dover Harbour Board to increase by 10%?”

Other residents says that the situation is worst when lorries are stuck for hours and the horns are high powered air ones, far louder than car horns.

They says that the longest queuing time was 15 hours during last July’s Black Saturday weekend when both lanes were static with both cars and trucks.

They say that the horn blasting happens during 50% of the time of the holdups.

Highways England has explained that it would need to move the traffic lights controlling the lorry flow more than a kilometre further away.

This would lead to the risk of tailbacks reaching into the Round Hill Tunnels near Folkestone and congestion at the junction with the A260 (Hawkinge turnoff).

It stresses that Dover TAP has helped to reduced congestion in the centre of Dover.

Highways England says that it has been in contact with Aycliffe residents ever since TAP began and has taken their wishes into account whenever possible.

Sunny Corner is owned by Dover District Council but despite the noise a council spokesman said: “DDC housing is not aware of concerns being raised by residents at Sunny Corner regarding this matter.”

Dover TAP (Traffic Assessment Project) has been in place since April 2015.

It is designed to control the flow of traffic coming into Dover, to prevent congestion.

It is implemented for coastbound traffic on the A20 between Aycliffe and the Round Hill Tunnels at Folkestone.

It has caused a separate controversy by forcing traffic travel to at 40mph at all times whether the system is in place or not.

Motorists either get fined for going over that limit or get harassed by other drivers, including truckers, for not going fast enough.

Charlie Elphicke, current Conservative Parliamentary candidate, has long complained to Highways England about this.

The agency has now begun work on varying the limit, putting up signs, but the change is not expected to happen until July.

The change would allow traffic to go up to the usual 70mph on the dual carriageway when TAP is not being used.