THIS man is one of hundreds of Ascot residents who are continuing their stiff opposition to a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Ray Rampton, who lives 15 miles from the international airport and complains that he cannot enjoy his garden in the summer anymore, says he sees aircraft flying over his house as often as every three minutes.

He explained: “We can’t have a window open at night when it’s hot and we now get flights through the night waking us up.

“Heathrow is a fine example of a public service company, but it can’t be allowed to ride roughshod over our peace, homes, business, environment.”

Mr Rampton fears that increased disruption from air traffic would ghettoise the region and make it only fit for industry.

“The massive increase in noise and air pollution, which we already suffer from in the Ascot area, would be unimaginable,” he added.

Kate Mann, who belongs to the campaign group PlaneDAFT (Defending Ascot's Future Today), lives more than ten miles from the airport and believes a third runway would be unbearable.

She said: “When I moved to Sunninghill in 2009, the flights didn't affect me at all, as we had none. Not a single one.

“Then, in August 2014, Heathrow started 'trials' without informing anyone and since that date, we have been subjected to an enormous amount of noise pollution as these flights thunder directly overhead on a daily basis.”

Camille Jeffs chimed in: “I have not had an uninterrupted night's sleep in practically two years thanks to Heathrow.”

Councillor David Hilton, representing Ascot and Cheapside ward for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), said the council wrote a letter to David Cameron regarding the issues about pollution at the London hub.

The letter warned that if problems were not resolved, RBWM and three other authorities would be seeking a judicial review.

Cllr Hinton said: “It is fundamentally wrong and undemocratic to be making a decision without taking into account the impact on affected people.”

Though the Brexit vote may have kicked any Heathrow proposal into touch, he warned the saga would return to haunt the new Government.

“It is not clear whether pollution around Heathrow would be manageable. The issue will come back,” he continued.

A representative of NATS, which manages air traffic control, stressed that any planned changes to airspace or flight paths would be subject to a full public consultation.

He said: “Regardless of any decision, NATS will continue to work with Heathrow and the airlines to help reduce the number of people who experience aircraft noise through use of regular respite and continuous descent approaches that keep aircraft higher for longer.”

A Heathrow spokesperson reiterated the case for the third runway, which was arguably strengthened in the wake of the EU referendum result.

The spokesperson stated: “Only Heathrow can help Britain be the great trading nation connecting all regions of the UK to the world.

“It is the keystone that connects businesses of every size to markets across the world as the UK’s only global hub airport.”