AN elderly couple fear their lives will be made hell and their home worthless if a major roundabout is built just 10 metres away.

Albert and Agnes Austin believed they would spend the rest of their lives enjoying living in their Chatteris home but instead they are becoming ill with worry.

They have lived at The Lamb and Flag in Iretons Way for 45 years and the house has been in the family for generations.

It is not plans to build up to 1,000 new homes on farmland opposite the Austins’ house which is upsetting the couple but the position of a roundabout earmarked on the plans.

Mrs Austin, 74, said: “We go to bed worrying about it at night and get up still worrying about it. We don’t need this at our time of life.

“We are not against progress, we don’t mind how many houses they build but it is the roundabout that we don’t want. I could not live with a roundabout just outside my home when there are far better places it could go and not ruin our lives. We have worked hard all our lives and for this to happen is very upsetting.”

The proposal for the development has been submitted to Fenland District Council by Hallam Land Management Ltd and BS Pension Fund Trustee Ltd, and includes a new primary school, sports facilities and business centre.

The couple have been told that now is not the right time to voice their protests because the application is only in outline form but they are afraid their worries will not be taken into consideration at the more detailed phase.

Mr Austin, 80, said: “We are thinking about this all the time, we are never free of it. We have lived here all these years and if the roundabout goes ahead it will make this property worthless. We get a lot of noise from lorries now but the noise from all the lorries braking will be enormous.

“We would even consider moving somewhere else if they gave us compensation because we could not live here.”

In a letter to Fenland District Council, the couple said: “With the volume of traffic on the road now, it takes between five to 10 minutes to leave our premises. With the proposed roundabout  and the chevrons marked on he road, I will not be able to turn right to go into Chatteris, as the chevrons are in front of my drive. This will mean I will have to turn left and drive a mile to reach the next roundabout before I can turn around to head into Chatteris.