A Pembroke man is at his wit?s end after suffering weeks of sleepness nights from mechanical digging work right outside his home.

Charles DeSousa lives above Great Things on East Broadway and is constantly kept awake by work done by Belco contractors who are taking a power line to the new RenaissanceRe building opposite.

Work started about a month ago and is set to go on for at least another two weeks.

?When there is traffic there no one hears these things but at 2 a.m. it?s very loud. Police say there is nothing they can do.

?They come and say ?stop making so much noise? but they continue until seven o?clock in the morning,? said an exasperated Mr. DeSousa.

?There are people living less than 80 feet away from where they are digging.

?They are getting closer and closer to our front door and are getting louder and louder and it will be another two weeks until they finish.

?If push comes to shove I will get myself in trouble,? said Mr. DeSousa, who says attempts to reason with the workers have got him nowhere.

?Big business is pushing hardworking people aside.?

A Belco spokeswoman said the digging had to be done at night as sewer lines had to be shut down going to Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and La Coquille, while night work also minimised the impact on traffic.

?It will improve the network and allow us to underground stuff that is overhead outside Great Things. The trunk is also being used by BTC, Quantum and the Waterworks.?

She said the decision to work at night had been made by the Corporation of Hamilton and the Works and Engineering.

?I don?t think there is any alternative.?