Airlines hit with fines for noisy planes at Nottingham East Midlands Airport
10.01.06
Environmental officers at Nottingham East Midlands Airport have set up a network of four sound monitoring stations, in surrounding villages, which sample aircraft noise levels for night flights. As a result airlines have been fined £125,000 because their planes have been too noisy.
Any planes recorded by the equipment in excess of 85 decibels result in a £500 fine for the airline with an additional £150 for every decibel over the limit. An airport spokesman revealed 114 fines had been issued since the penalty scheme began in July 2002. The largest fine issued to date has been £4,000. All the proceeds of the fines go into a community fund and are then distributed to good causes.
After the success of the first four monitoring stations, the airport is looking to set up another site in Castle Donington, the village nearest to the airport. The spokesman said: 'We are conscious of the impact aircraft noise can have on the communities surrounding us and that is why we run the fines system. We already have four sites including one at Sutton Bonnington, another we installed in Kegworth in March and two others in Nottinghamshire.'
'We are adding Castle Donington, subject to planning permission, and we have mobile monitoring equipment which can be taken to wherever residents feel there is a problem. We think the fines system is an effective way of reminding the airlines to keep noise levels to a minimum.'
Anti-noise campaigners welcomed the proposals to expand the monitoring. Peggy Beddoe, of Castle Donington, a member of People Against Intrusive Noise (Pain), said: 'We have been asking for around three years for the airport to start monitoring noise here so I'm happy they are going to start doing it'
'It will, however, only be worthwhile if the information is then used and serious fines are given out. Frankly, the problem of noise here is terrible.'
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