Our local pub installed a 24-hour launderette on the street… industrial-sized washing machines keep us up ALL night

A PUB has sparked fury after installing a 24-hour laundrette on the street – and the industrial-sized machines are not washing with locals. Furious residents say they are being kept up all night by the self-service devices, which sit outside The Woodman in Norwich, Norfolk. The Woodman has sparked fury after installing a 24-hour laundrette on the street Credit: SWNS Furious residents say they are being kept up all night by the self-service devices Credit: SWNS The Wash.Me laundry unit – adorned with garish blue and white stickers – runs “throughout the night”, according to neighbours. Two of the huge machines are capable of holding 20kg worth of clothes – with customers able to wash and dry their belongings. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! And the unit, which doesn’t require planning permission, is understood to be raking in extra income for the pub following its installation last month. But neighbour Pippa Lain-Smith slammed the machines, which are located opposite her home, as an “eyesore”. Neighbour Pippa Lain-Smith slammed the machines as an ‘eyesore’ Credit: SWNS The Wash.Me laundry machines at the Woodman pub Credit: SWNS Pippa told the Eastern Daily Press that she had written to the pub about using its car park to store the industrial-sized machines instead. But she claims her request to move the unit was denied because it would “take up four spaces”. Pippa fumed: “It’s an eyesore, extremely intrusive and not in keeping with the area. “The bright blue lighting system, which is left on all night, causes light pollution, over and above what one would expect from the area.” Most read in The Sun Other locals pointed to the traffic chaos sparked by the installation, with customers parking on the pavement while they wait for their washing. One fumed: “It’s ridiculous. I’ve seen at least eight times where customers then pull out onto a road where some drivers speed down. “It’s an accident waiting to happen.” According to the Wash.Me website, the company pays the pub money to install the unit on its site. But the machines have sent neighbours into a spin and sparked a cycle of complaints. Concerns have also been raised over the lighting surrounding the facility. County councillor Antony Little said the local community had not been taking into consideration ahead of the installation. He said: “While we all want the pub to do well, the machines have been installed with no consideration of the pub’s neighbours. “It’s my understanding the pub is looking to switch the lights off. “There needs to be a way where we can reasonably keep the machines while ensuring that neighbours’ homes are not blighted.” But, Jonathan Flude, who was working at a home close to the machines, praised the pub for looking at news ways of bringing in money. He said: “Good on them. Obviously they’ve not done it for nothing. “They must have had reason to believe there would be a need for it.” The Woodman Pub confirmed it was looking at ways to turn off the lighting overnight and said parking rules would soon be ironed out. A spokesman said: “The parking for the machines is at the back of the pub adjacent to the machines. “We will be making this clearer over the next week. “We were approached by the machine operators who identified a need in the area. “The location was chosen based on the best access for water, electric and drainage direct from the building. “We are working with the machine provider to adjust the lighting settings so that they either dim or are turned off during the night. “They are waiting for an engineer to rectify this.” Comment now