The annoying beeping sound of the trucks working to re-lay a new runway at Bermuda International Airport cannot be turned off, due to safety regulations, authorities have claimed.

They said the beeping mechanism that comes on when trucks are reversing has to be in use during construction to prevent accidents from occurring.

The Royal Gazette reported on Monday how residents in the East End had been driven to distraction by the beeping as work was carried out through the night to re-lay the new runway with minimum disruption to flights.

One St. David's resident, Peter Lever, said he lived at least half a mile away from the runway but could still hear the beeping and said it was keeping him awake at night.

And Paul Clinton, who lives close to the docks in St. George's where the asphalt for the runway was being unloaded, said that same beeping noise was driving him crazy.

He said it started very early in the morning and went on until midnight, and said he could cope with the other noises, but found the beeping "torture".

Both residents asked if the beeping could be turned off.

But yesterday, airport general manager James Howes said he had investigated, and found that nothing could be done.

He said: "We have looked into this and found that, unfortunately, much as we regret the inconvenience to our neighbours in St. George's, we cannot eliminate the noise until the work is finished. It is required in the workforce for these alarms to sound for safety reasons.

"But the work is proceeding ahead of schedule and this inconvenience will be over by the end of the month.

"We only do this job once every 15 years, and it is necessary."

Mayor of St. George's Henry Hayward, when he asked about the beeping sound down at the docks, was also told that the alarms had to be in use throughout the work according to safety regulations.

But he said he had asked that the unloading of the gravel ships at the Old Town's docks be stopped early following the complaints from residents.

The Mayor said he took action after reading in The Royal Gazette on Monday that residents were upset at the constant beeping of the trucks from early in the morning, and often until after midnight.

And he said he had tried to strike a compromise when he realised the beeping could not be switched off.

"I live in the area and I can hear beeping from the docks, as well as Southside, where the work to re-lay the runway at the airport is going on," said Mr. Hayward.

"It is aggravating. I spoke to the operators, wearing my Mayor's hat, to ask if the beepers could be disconnected. They looked into it from the safety point of view and said they could not.

"So, I have asked Pennos Wharf to stop at 10 p.m., rather than midnight."

While the trucks were working through the day to unload the gravel, work at the airport could not begin until 11 p.m., after the last American Airlines flight had arrived. Work then continues through the night until the early morning flight is due to leave at 7.30 a.m.

But Mr. Clinton also raised the issue of whether the docks in St. George's were being used according to what they had been licensed for.

He said they were commercial docks, but were being used for industrial use.

However, Mr. Hayward said that no regulations had been broken.

He said: "There is no industry going on. It is purely commercial use. They are simply unloading, so there is nothing wrong whatsoever."

But Mr. Howes said he believed that all of the asphalt for the runway had just about been unloaded now, and said the runway was being re-laid section by section to enable it to stay open.

He said 31 tons of asphalt was required for the job, and construction workers were operating between 11 p.m and 6 a.m. to get the job done.