Heathrow protesters engage auto-pilot in noise campaign
Heathrow campaigners complaining about noise emanating from overhead jets have been caught out after airport authorities noticed that emailed complaints were being received before the planes in question had taken off or landed.
The discrepancy was accounted for by the use of automated software designed to ping complaints in tandem with scheduled flights – only its users had forgotten to account for the clocks going back an hour in the autumn.
Just 37 people using the software generated a total of 28,577 such pre-programmed messages between them but remained defiant despite being caught out.
Defending their methods John Stewart, chair of a local residents group, said: “I think that shows how disturbed people were by the noise from the flight paths.”
Heathrow Airport’s turbulent relationship with the neighbours has seen it deluged with 94,114 noise complaints last year, five times the 18,826 to pop up in its bulging inbox in 2013.