A report calling for the Heathrow expansion to be stopped has said aircraft noise can have “severe effects” on people’s health and wellbeing.

Parliament voted in favour of a third runway at Heathrow in June 2018.

But now a new report by the London Assembly environment committee, which warns of the effects of noise pollution on residents in the capital, has renewed calls for the expansion not to go ahead.

The report warns airport noise can disturb work, relaxationag and sleep, with “severe effects” on health and wellbeing.

Caroline Russell, chairman of the environment committee, said: “The experiences of residents living with the daily nightmare of overhead noise are deeply worrying.

“This drive towards filling airspace capacity must be checked. For too many people, including children, aircraft noise is a major dominant intrusion into their everyday lives.”

If Heathrow builds the new runway, the number of flights will increase from around 475,000 to 740,000 a year.

Campaigners say this means around 200,000 more people will be affected by aircraft noise.

Heathrow has also recently published plans to increase its flights to around 500,000 per year and change flight paths, including overflying new areas, even before any third runway.

Ms Russell added: “We have already made clear our objection to the expansion of Heathrow, but aviation authorities and operators must prioritise the health and well-being of Londoners and give us a break.”

The report made other demands, including:

Asking the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise to regulate noise disturbances from airports more strictly and mapping the combined effect of noise pollution for all of London’s airports.

Calling for flight paths to be rotated to give people respite living under concentrated flight paths a break from airplane noise.

Calling on airports to stop late night and early morning flights.

Groups campaigning against the Heathrow expansion welcomed the report.

Rob Barnstone, the co-ordinator of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, said: “London is set to be severely impacted by plans to expand Heathrow, in an already outdated airspace which leaves so many vast swathes of Londoners’ lives, in some cases many, many miles from Heathrow, blighted by noise from planes.

“The sensible recommendations in this report should be implemented by the aviation authorities at the very earliest opportunity.”

Jackie Clark, the chairman of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group, said the health and wellbeing of people being impacted by Heathrow is “paramount” and called on Heathrow to make sure a ban on night flights is extended to eight hours each night.