PEOPLE living beneath Southampton International Airport's flight path can now see just how noisy their communities are.

Maps showing noise levels caused by aeroplanes taking off and landing during the day and night have been published for the first time. They reveal that on a typical day thousands of city households have to contend with noise levels exceeding 55 decibels - the level at which the European Union has declared noise levels to become "an irritant."

People living in parts of Eastleigh, Townhill Park and Bitterne Park, areas nearest the airport, suffer the most with aircraft noise reaching 75 decibels - worse than having a vacuum cleaner switched on all the time.

The Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs compiled the day and night noise maps for Southampton and 17 other airports nationwide that have more than 50,000 take offs and landings annually.

The maps have been published in response to a European Union environmental noise directive requesting airports to take action to reduce aircraft noise.

Southampton International Airport must now submit an action plan to Defra and the Department of Transport by July 18 outlining how it plans to reduce noise levels.

A Defra spokesman said that the sound levels at 70 decibels could be compared to a vacuum cleaner switched on permanently.

Mary Finch, who has lived in Bitterne Park since 1968 and is a member of the Southampton Airport Pressure Group, welcomed the publication of the noise maps.

She said: "It is good to see that the noise levels that we have been complaining about have been published for all to see and that the airport is being held to account by doing an action plan.

"Living under the flight path can be quite horrendous at times because the aeroplanes are coming in so low and taking off they are at full throttle.

"When they fly over they are just a couple of hundred feet over my roof."

There are no national guidelines on acceptable noise levels around airports except government regulations governing the number of flights during the day and night.

An airport spokesman said: "Southampton Airport works in conjunction with its local community to minimise noise impacts where possible. The airport also has a legally binding Flying Controls Agreement with Eastleigh Borough Council, which includes measures to minimise noise, such as the closure of the airport during night hours."