In the heart of Abu Dhabi city, anomalies have become a hallmark of the streets, ruining the scenery and spoiling the aesthetic senses of residents and visitors.

Dirty pits, piles of rubble and faltering walls lie just next to the clean streets, green parks and high-rise towers.

Messy construction sites have become abundant in the UAE's cosmopolitan capital, encroaching on peaceful residential areas, giving a bad image, posing a threat to children and turning Abu Dhabi into a safe haven for insects.

Residents are complaining that construction work at some sites is left unattended or neglected for months, spawning bad smells and depriving them of the badly needed clean environment and proper car parking. Some residents even have no idea about the projects, and when they ask, they receive no answer.

"But why does it take them ages to finish their job?" asked an irate resident living close to a construction site in the luxurious Khalidiyya neighbourhood near the sea.

"All these ditches, piles of earth and rubble, and collapsing structures have been here for months. They are not working."

Municipality sources said they had warned entrepreneurs over the delay in executing such projects but most of them were simply not heeding the instructions.

A source at the Civil Defence said they had been in touch with civil authorities and contractors over such delays on the grounds they pose danger to the residents' lives and to public health.

But those living beside that construction area in Khalidiyya believe stricter action needs to be taken to force companies to expedite work and ensure the area is cleaned-up.

"I have been working at a shop in this area for around five months and all these pits, garbage and rubble have been here. I see just a single dustman in the morning collecting some rubbish on roads, but I haven't sighted any other workers during this period," said an Arab expatriate. "People do not know where to park their cars and the area is very dirty."

Driving along the famous Corniche that splits the city from the azure Gulf water, one can feel the refreshing breeze and enjoy the landscaped breakwater opposite, where several restaurants, parks and other recreational facilities are emerging. Just a few hundred metres away, the giant man-made Lulu island is taking shape as bulldozers and trucks rumble daily to turn it into one of the biggest animal reserves in the Middle East.

Leaving the Corniche and turning left or right into Khalidiyya, drivers are faced with the magnificent clean buildings towering over vast green parks, and neat streets dotted with thousands of plants and trees.

The scene could amount to perfection without those random construction works which also mar the delight of shoppers heading for Prisonic, Lamcy and other famous department stores that are now besieged by dirt, rubble and ditches.

Most roads leading to those shops have even been shut, forcing drivers to make a u-turn in the hope they will reach their destination. Impatient shoppers who could not find their way or park their cars simply give up and turn back, while others just do not bother to come.

"Besides this inconvenience to parking, these pits and rubble are blocking the way to cars, give a safe dwelling to insects and create a bad image in this clean area," a resident said.

"What makes it worse is this site is located next to a petrol station. It is extremely dangerous. It is really negligence on the part of the contractors and the authorities. Look at that - there are no signs to warn people and drivers. How come we have not seen one truck or a bulldozer on the site for months? Why is it left unattended for so long?"

The site at Khalidiyya reminds passers-by of old pre-oil Abu Dhabi, when small, shabby houses littered the town and mounds of earth, straw and broken wood surrounding ditches and narrow roads were quite a familiar scene. Visitors to that site could see a tiny sign standing shyly and unnoticed on the side of a dirty road, reading: "no entry."

But cars just ignored it as they kept going past it, venturing on the narrow road that was deformed by humps, littered rocks, earth and broken wood and glass.

"As you see there, those structures are ready for demolition but they have not demolished them. They are about to collapse and this poses a great danger to people, especially children.

There are no signs telling of the danger and even when they do put up signs, they are not enough," a confused Arab resident said.

"What we want from them to do is to start work and finish their job. Other areas are also suffering and I am really sick of this."