EDINBURGH residents near to JK Rowling’s new-build equestrian centre have blamed the construction for turning their street into a crater-strewn “battlefield”.

Ms Rowling is behind plans for a private horse riding school near her luxury mansion in the capital; however, some neighbours have become critical of the project.

There have been complaints over noise pollution and increased traffic, and residents claim heavy trucks and plant machinery have torn potholes the size of "craters" in their road, which provides access to the site.

One homeowner said she had twice punctured her car tyres, while another said: "At times it's been like a battlefield. You could've had a serious accident if you'd driven into one of them."

The City of Edinburgh Council said temporary repairs to the worst holes will be carried out ahead of resurfacing later in the year.

In 2014, planning permission was granted for stables, staff accommodation and a large training arena on the site of an old farm on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Papers lodged with the local authority claimed the new centre would regenerate an area that was dangerously overgrown, populated with decrepit buildings and under attack by Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant species.

Indeed, some residents are grateful for the centre as it ended the prospect of 250 houses being built on the site.

Jason Rust, an Edinburgh councillor, told the Sunday Times: "Remedial works are required to the surrounding roads due to construction, but generally the development has been viewed positively locally.

“I don't see anything other than a positive impact for our community at this stage, but clearly any roads issues need fixed permanently."

A spokeswoman for Ms Rowling declined to comment.