As the coordinator of Hacan (Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise), I applaud Coco Khan’s article for recognising noise as a serious health issue (Shout it from the rooftops: the noise pollution in towns and cities is killing us, 10 April). This is one that continues to fly beneath the radar and requires serious action from the government at all levels.
According to the European Environment Agency, noise pollution is the second largest environmental threat to health, causing 12,000 premature deaths a year. Indeed, at Heathrow, at least 725,000 people are currently exposed to aircraft noise, with that figure expected to more than double should a third runway ever be built.
While there is certainly a financial issue with regard to the ability to mitigate the impact of aircraft noise, or indeed move away from it entirely, the fact is that aircraft noise causes health problems for all. Worryingly, many people may not even be aware of it until the damage has been done.
The delivery of an airspace modernisation programme over the next few years will see changes to flight paths across the country that will increase the intensity of noise for overflown communities and is likely to expose many communities to aircraft noise for the first time.
Academic research has consistently shown that aircraft noise affects people’s health at lower decibel levels than previously thought, and that people are becoming more sensitive to aircraft noise to a greater extent than other modes of transport.
The fault ultimately lies at the feet of the government for the glacial pace of progress in addressing the problem of noise, despite the recognition of its harm to health. One simple solution exists to help local communities and that is to make aircraft noise a statutory nuisance.
Paul Beckford
Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise
• I completely agree with Coco Khan’s article and the insensitivity of people in urban residential areas who contribute inconsiderate additional noise pollution to the environment. Noise blaring out from wireless speakers is a new noise problem. People shouting “Alexa, play…” across their garden at 1am is totally unacceptable, but this “I’m the king of my castle” attitude has run amok through quiet middle England.
The answer is simple in that local authorities can impose a “quietude” law, stating that no resident can make noise which permeates over their boundary at any time. However, policing this would be an issue.
Nigel Wheadon
Witham, Essex
• Your article refers to noise in urban areas, but the myth that the countryside is quiet, particularly in the winter months, is untrue. From late September to late spring, and from dawn to dusk, the air is filled with the boom of numerous audio bird scarers, known as “bangers”. These propane-powered guns discharge at 120 decibels (about twice that allowed for motor vehicles) and fire up to 12 times an hour. The intention is protect young crops, but more often than not they are switched on for months at a time. Unlike other industries where operational hours and disturbance are controlled, there are no controls or regulations concerning the use of these devices, and environmental officers are powerless to take any action.
The National Farmers’ Union has produced a code on how they should be operated, saying that they should only be used as a last resort, but the code, without any legal backing, is usually ignored.
Kenneth Parker
Rattlesden, Suffolk
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