Jason Anderton, of Fairview Drive, Adlington is unhappy that developers Persimmon Homes have not done anything about the problem.

He says the cover makes a loud rattling noise every time a car drives over it and disrupts his sleep and that of wife Judith and children Isabel and Phoebe, aged three and nine.

The dad-of-two is one of several residents who have been trying to get something done.

Mr Anderton, 38, works as a technical sales engineer and has lived on the Fairview Farm estate for five years.

He said: "It rattles like a snare drum when a car drives over it - I've been trying to get the gutter fixed for the past six months because I haven't slept properly because of it.

"The developers are giving us the runaround and the council says they can't do anything because they haven't adopted the road yet.

"The noise is driving me up the wall and I've had enough of being woken up by a banging noise in the middle of the night.

"The bedroom faces the wall and the manhole is right outside my house and it wakes my wife and little ones up as well.

"It's just a big nuisance and probably worse than someone playing loud music because it doesn't stop.

"You can set your watch by it and it always happens."

The Fairview Farm estate is made up of around 170 homes and was originally built by Westbury Homes, which has since been taken over by Persimmon Homes.

The company was required to contribute funds towards Fairview Community Centre on Highfield Road North to secure planning permission for the estate in 2002.

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes said: "We have received no correspondence from the tenant at No 9 Fairview Drive and have no record of any issue at this property.

"We have an active customer care department who will be only too willing to investigate any query on his behalf, should he choose to approach us."