RESIDENTS of Britain’s ‘loudest street’ say it’s not the planes that frustrate them, but the people.
Jumbo jets skim the roofs of the homes in Myrtle Avenue as they land at Heathrow’s southern runway.
But residents say outsiders come and park them into their homes, while bags of litter have been tossed into the park at the end of the cul-de-sac.
One resident, who didn’t want to be named, said she had used nappies thrown into her bin by a family visiting the park.
She said: “You get quite a lot of Uber drivers parking here and they’ll pee in a bottle and just leave bottles around.”
“I looked out of my bedroom one morning and somebody was parked and he threw three black bags on the pavement and left.”
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Residents blamed the parking and rubbish issues on the families who came to the area to watch the planes, rather than the amateur photographers who are known to congregate at the nearby park.
They said the park had become more popular with families from social media and since the cost of living crisis as watching planes was free.
Resident Amanat Ali, 47, said it was drug dealers who were coming at night and leave rubbish.
“It is a really dangerous place, so many people they come [at night] for nothing, they sit around and they put their rubbish there.”
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He said a small black rubbish bin had only been put into the park at the start of February and that nobody had been to clean the piles of rubbish up.
Ali also said that he got parked into his home most weeks, but if he was heading out he would let people park in his space.
“Mostly it is on Friday’s Saturday’s and Sunday’s… it’s the families.”
But sometimes, he had to walk out into the field and find the person whose car was blocking the way.
The Sun saw one fracas when another resident was returning home and couldn’t enter his driveway.
Most residents in the street have door bell cameras as they have been parked in so often they want to be notified of movement on their street.
They say, since the cost of living crisis began, families have flocked to the park on sunny days for a free day out watching planes.
It’s just a select few who ruin it for everyone else
Leon Cloutt
Amateur plane spotter Leon Cloutt, 26, said it wasn’t the hobby photographers who were parking in residents driveways. He claimed he and his fellow snappers usually take public transport.
“I know full well I take care of the area and I know the majority of the other people, 95 per cent of us, are respectful of the area.
“It’s just a select few who ruin it for everyone else.”
Leon said a Facebook group called London Heathrow Spotters told its members to not litter the park and they should “leave it how they want to find it”.
He said: “99 per cent of the members are the respectful ones who know how to treat the area and the residents.”
Councillor Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Recreation, Public Space and Parking, said: “Hounslow is a listening council and we work closely with our residents to respond to their needs in their neighbourhoods.
“We very recently received a petition from people living on Myrtle Avenue, asking for the existing single yellow lines to be changed to double yellow lines at the end of the avenue, and I’m pleased to say that we are acting to grant this request.
“We can also confirm that between 1 January and 8 February, our enforcement officers visited the avenue more than 38 times.
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“Nine vehicles were seen in contravention, and we issued eight with a Penalty Charge Notice – the ninth moved on when asked.
“Hounslow Council invites residents to report parking contraventions, and will take action where possible.”
How do Heathrow’s runways work?
Heathrow runs an alternating schedule between its two runways.
Between 6am and 3pm, planes take off from one runway and land at the other.
Then, between 3pm and the last departure, the planes switch, and they land at the first airport and take off from the other.
That order than switches every week so nearby residents only have two weeks of evening landings a month.
In the daytime, airlines are allowed to reach a noise level of 94 decibels – the equivalent of a jackhammer just a few feet away.
At night they must lower the levels to 87 decibels, with fines for failing to comply.
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James Halpin
