People in Birchington say their lives are being made a misery by diesel fumes from industrial generators outside their homes.

One householder has suffered headaches and nausea, and others have complained about lack of sleep due to the noise.

UK Power Networks are investigating a series of power cuts in the Quex area, and have installed the machines to maintain the supply while the problem is sorted.

It is the second time in a month that the generators have been used after engineers failed to diagnose the reason for the outages.

One of the generators is directly outside Stephen Thomas’ bungalow in Quex View Road.

Mr Thomas said that he had managed to put up with them at first, but over the weekend, things became worse.

He said: “The generators had been removed but on Saturday morning, there was another power cut, so some workmen brought them back.

“Before very long, I noticed very strong diesel fumes coming through my windows.

“There is a visible haze in the street around it.

“Since then, I’ve had headaches, I feel sick and I can’t escape the smell. I’ve got three dogs, and every time I open the door to let them out, the house is filled with fumes again.

“And I can forget trying to open a window, despite it being the middle of summer."