'No estate agent will touch our home due to HS2'

People living in a Warwickshire village on the path of HS2's railway line from London to Birmingham have described the "devastating" impact the project is having on their lives.

Linda Franklin and her husband Ed had planned to downsize their home in Water Orton once their three daughters had grown up but said, because of how close they live to the construction, "no estate agent will touch it".

The retired nurse, who lives on Attleboro Lane, claimed vibrations caused by heavy machinery had damaged their property: "It's destroyed our home, I'm embarrassed about home, it's falling apart."

HS2 said they engaged regularly with the local community and tried to minimise the local impact of the works.

But 59-year-old Franklin said she had been "fobbed off" by the company.

The couple, who have lived at the property for 29 years, have cracks in their plaster, floor tiles, wall tiles and ceilings and have been quoted £7,000 for repairs.

She said HS2 had acknowledged that it caused the damage, but only offered to pay half the cost when she submitted a claim.

"I dread coming home, it's just destroying every part of it", she said.

When they have looked into selling their property, the feedback from estate agents was negative.

"The minute they know where we are, they've said categorically because of HS2 they can't market it, nobody will put a mortgage on it, the only way we'll get a buyer is a cash buyer," Franklin said.

The couple are not prepared to sell their home below market value which means they are "stuck, we're just in limbo".

"On a good day it's frustrating, on a bad day it's devastating, I could cry", she said.

The huge delays to the project have also added to her misery, she said, adding: "It feels like there's no end to it, there's no way out of it all."

Last year, the government confirmed the high-speed rail project would not be completed as planned by 2033.

HS2 said they acknowledged some people would experience effects as a result of construction and urged residents to continue to talk to local engagement teams.

For those gathering at the weekly Spud Club at the village's Methodist church, which organises social events, there were concerns about air quality getting worse in the area.

Maddie Riley moved to Water Orton two years ago and said her partner's asthma had deteriorated and now required medication.

"He needs his inhaler a lot more and when he's resting he can feel his chest hurting on evenings," said the 27-year-old.

Chris Baker has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and said it had "been exacerbated by the contaminants in the air".

The 81-year-old said it was hard to avoid the "dust, sand and white powder, it was everywhere".

He noticed an improvement in his health when he went away on holiday, saying: "My breathing is far better."

HS2 said it monitored dust and nitrogen oxides in the area and published the results on the government's website.

Luke Nipen, its head of engagement, said: "We take the health and safety of residents with the utmost importance and work in line with industry best practice to make sure we're doing all of the right things on our sites."

Nipen said work in Water Orton had seen "tremendous progress" with the completion last year of the Bromford tunnel - a 3.5 mile (5.8km) long tunnel from the Warwickshire village to Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

The construction of two huge single-track viaducts were "nearing completion", he added.

Once finished, they will carry high speed trains for 0.87 miles (1.4km) across two railways, a river, local roads and the M42.

They are part of HS2's Delta junction, a complex triangular network of 13 viaducts, and will allow southbound trains to join the spur into Birmingham Curzon Street and the rolling stock depot at Washwood Heath.

Nipen said over the coming months, landscaping would begin in Water Orton "looking to blend in within the environment, making sure our designs are sympathetic to the area".

Some in the village have made the most of HS2's arrival, with eight community venues receiving £305,000 in funding.

Among them were Water Orton Cricket Club, which received two grants of more than £100,000 in total.

Committee member Steve Murphy said HS2 got a lot of negative press but the grants were "huge" for the volunteer-led organisation.

"A lot of clubs like ours are living hand to mouth and that amount of money really makes a difference to the long-term prospect of the club," he added.

Celebrating its 146th season, they have spent the money on refurnishing the clubhouse, updating the car park and on netting to protect nearby houses.

Across the whole of Warwickshire, £2.52m in funding has been awarded by HS2 to 50 projects.