Misery of the 'painted whales'

Richard Blystone, 65, and wife Helle, 62, bought their Victorian villa overlooking Parson's Green because they wanted "peace and quiet".

But they soon found this peace shattered. Mr Blystone, a retired journalist, said: "Over the past year it feels like they have put a motorway at 2000 feet over our heads.

"We are eight miles from the Heathrow fence but the noise is so bad our neighbours sold up and moved to Kent. I wake up at 4am wondering why I cannot sleep. But you hear the succession of flights and realise why you were woken up."

When the couple paid £300,000 for the four-bedroom house in 1987, they did not foresee the sleepless nights to come.

Mr Blystone said: "It seemed there were half the number of flights then. Now there is a constant procession of these great painted whales over our heads throughout the night."

A US citizen, who has lived in Britain since 1975, Mr Blystone said Americans would be "more vociferous" in their complaints than his neighbours.

He speculated: "Houses here go for upwards of £1million and perhaps they fear property prices will be hit. I do not want to move. The Government has not got me licked yet but it is a scandal the way they are treating people."