Concrete cut by Gold Coast City Council early in morning, leaving residents baffled

Southport residents had a rude awakening after a worker started cutting concrete on the street with a power tool at 4am. WATCH THE VIDEO

Southport residents got a shock 4am wake-up call on Wednesday after a worker started cutting concrete on the street with a power tool.

A disgruntled resident posted a video to a Facebook group of the noisy work happening at the unholy hour on Nind St.

In the video, a worker wearing a high visibility uniform could be seen using the power tool.

A Gold Coast City Council spokeswoman said the work was carried out after a leak was reported in a fire hydrant.

“City officers assessed the leak and determined it to be high priority, which would require water in the surrounding area to be shut down while works were carried out,” she said.

“In order to repair the leak with minimal disruption to local residents and businesses, the work was carried out early morning on the January 25, taking approximately 20 minutes to complete.

“A water leak in a fire hydrant is considered high priority as it can pose a safety risk to pedestrians and impact the Queensland Fire Services with a possible loss of water pressure if they were required to use it.”

Residents woke at 4am Wednesday to the sound of a power tool. Picture: Facebook

Noisy work is only allowed between 6.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Saturday.

However, work can be done outside these hours in an emergency or if a permit has been approved.

It comes after residents of a quiet Gold Coast suburb were left baffled after a chainsaw broke the peace, waking children about 9pm last Thursday night.

A worker with a Gold Coast City Council vehicle was spotted cutting down a tree on Clark St, Biggera Waters despite the late hour.

Council says the work was done for safety reasons after a resident alerted them to a fallen branch.

A council worker cutting down a tree late at night in a Biggera Waters street. Picture: Supplied

A Gold Coast City Council spokeswoman told the Bulletin: “Safety is our number one priority and last night we received an after-hours call that a branch had fallen and was obstructing a resident’s vehicle.

“We were also advised the vehicle was required at 5am and were requested to attend immediately.

A council worker cutting down a tree late at night in a Biggera Waters street. Picture: Supplied

“As such, the City officers determined the tree was in poor condition and a safety hazard and needed to be removed immediately.”

Video showed a council worker getting a chainsaw from his car and cutting down branches.

By Friday morning the tree had been entirely removed and a fluoro pink spray-paint marked the stump.

What was left of the tree on Friday morning. Picture: Supplied.

Completing the work at night left residents baffled, including one mum whose seven-year-old was woken up.

“Noise restrictions exist within our community to be considerate of the people who live here … and council aren’t exempt from that,” she said.

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