PEOPLE living near busy Stansted airport will be able to track noisy planes flying over their homes via a new web site.WebTrak is part of a £1.8 million investment by airport owners BAA to upgrade its noise and tracking systems.

PEOPLE living near busy Stansted airport will be able to track noisy planes flying over their homes via a new web site.

WebTrak is part of a £1.8 million investment by airport owners BAA to upgrade its noise and tracking systems.

It will enable residents to track the flightpaths of aircraft arriving and departing from the airport, and display height and location.

But the website is not expected to be much use to people living in Suffolk and experiencing noise from aircraft as its tracking will not stretch that far and is designed to monitor those planes using the airport when they are at the lowest heights.

Many of the planes over Suffolk - which has seen a huge increase in the number of flights over its communities in the past three years - are not heading for Stansted, but Luton, Heathrow, Gatwick or flying over the UK to further destinations.

The Evening Star's Air Fair campaign is keeping a close eye on the situation, with the number of flights set to rise dramatically in the years ahead with several airports set to expand their operations.

BAA said the site - www.stanstedairport.com/noise - was designed to help people who want to know more about aircraft noise and flightpaths. There is a 24 to 48 hour time delay in displaying flight tracks for security purposes.

The site includes the ability to make a noise inquiry or complaint online.

Vicki Hughes, Stansted's noise communications manager, said: “The launch of this new noise website is another positive development in the open way in which we work with communities to share as much information as possible about Stansted's operations.

“This significant investment demonstrates how fully committed we are to providing the best possible service to members of the public about noise and aircraft track keeping.

“In coming weeks we will further enhance the WebTrak service and extend the area covered by the system to include more towns and villages to the east of Stansted. These improvements will ensure even more communities have access to the best possible information and the full range of services we've launched today.”

Last year there were 13,956 complaints about noise from planes in the Stansted area - of these, 9,195 were made by 14 callers.

Are you bothered by the growing noise of aircraft flying over Suffolk? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.