Work on the site at Bugbrooke will be halted for 28 days by order of the local council.

Persimmon Homes was issued the Temporary Stop Notice (TSN) by South Northamptonshire Council last Friday following complaints from nearby residents.

The development was given planning permission on the condition that vehicles leaving the site be cleaned and the road outside was kept tidy.

The 28 day period will stand unless the developers can demonstrate that satisfactory measures have been put in place to protect the road from more mud.

The council’s head of planning and environment, Rebecca Breese, told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo: “Conditions are put in place to ensure a planning permission is acceptable once built as well as to protect the amenity of neighbours and others during the construction period.

“As we do not impose conditions lightly we will enforce them when it is in our community’s interest to do so.”

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes Midlands, said: “There has been an intensive period of activity at our forthcoming Bugbrooke development to establish the construction compound, and we have encountered significant challenges with the recent wet weather causing delays and mud.

“On this occasion, we accept that we have not met our own rigorously high standards of site management and we are actively working with the Council to agree a series of measures that will allow work on site to re-start as quickly as possible.

“We look forward to delivering 80 new homes for local people at The Paddocks.”