I WAS interested to read ABP port director Nick Ridehalgh’s comments (Daily Echo, March 31) on the problems of noise disturbance caused by the loading of scrap metal.

Mr Ridehalgh attempts to play down the impact of the noise inconvenience by stating that the loading of ships only takes place once every ten days.

He fails to explain how the scrap metal arrives in the docks in the first place.

It would be interesting to know how many HGV lorry-loads are required to create the mountains of scrap and how he proposes to unload and pile it high without creating noise and pollution.

Local residents have already had one warning to keep windows closed when a scrap pile caught fire, resulting in a cloud of smoke blowing over Freemantle and Shirley.

While there may have only been 12 scrap metal ships loaded since January, the work to prepare the scrap for loading has been continuous over the period.

I would be interested to read the management plan governing this activity and would then be better able to comment and criticise if the plan wasn’t being followed.

I would also suggest that the reason that no complaints have been received is that most residents are fed up with complaining and nothing being done, and maybe it would also help if the complaints phone number was better publicised.

CHRISTOPHER HINDS, Regents Park, Southampton.