MR BELL of Hertfordshire criticises Leeman Road area residents for opposing the train care depot (Letters, November 20).

However,he fails to make the distinction between the normal disturbances of the rail line that residents understand when they buy a house close by, and the noise that could easily be running overnight and into the small hours from a depot.

As a councillor I have been actively helping residents in Holly Bank who are already suffering problems due to noise from idling trains next to their houses. However, rail companies have a privileged position.

Whilst Mr Bell could complain about the operations of a car maintenance depot next to his house and ensure that the council took out enforcement notices to keep that depot quiet during the night, the poor residents alongside the track do not have this option open to them.

Residents of Holly Bank realised they were buying homes close to the rail line, but BR in the past did not to allow its drivers to keep their engines running for the lengths of time that these residents now have to suffer.

They are being kept awake at night and prevented from being able to enjoy weekend use of their gardens due to the pollution from diesel engines running for upwards of four hours at a time.

Private companies using loopholes in the law to get away with being bad neighbours are the problem.

Therefore before Leeman Road suffers the same fate - shunting idling trains and maintenance noise through the night - we need to look at the location of the depot.

Coun Gil Nimmo,

Ward councillor for Holgate,

Eastholme Drive,

Rawcliffe, York.

Updated: 10:01 Thursday, November 25, 2004