THE letters in Saturday's Evening Press indicate a lack of awareness about noise problems and the way in which council officers have to deal with them to comply with legislation.

Officers have to investigate when formal complaints are made and, if satisfied that a nuisance may exist, they have to take appropriate action to try to resolve the situation. Usually this will be done by making recommendations and acting as mediator.

My impression of the cockerel problem is that it has little to do with "rural" or "countryside" but is related to poultry being kept in a suburban garden.

As for the comments by Mr Senior, he should be aware that all commercial aircraft have to comply with strict noise limitations both in their design and in the way they are flown in and out of Leeds/Bradford airport. The operators are fined if they exceed noise limitations or stray from agreed flight paths.

Similarly road vehicles have to comply with limits on noise laid down by Whitehall and, when new roads are opened, residents may be entitled to compensation and noise insulation.

Noise is unwanted sound to which a large proportion of the population is exposed. All reasonable and practicable measures should be used to reduce it.

We have the technology.

David Randon,

Blue Slates Close,

Wheldrake, York.

Updated: 10:58 Wednesday, January 18, 2006