PLEASE don't abandon us – that's the plea to Teignbridge Council by a Heathfield couple whose lives have been made a misery by the night-time noise from the BCT factory.

Sally and Eric Newton say that the council's environmental health department has closed its complaint file on the factory even though they haven't been able to have their windows open properly for four years.

'How can they abandon us?' Mrs Newton said. 'We're council tax payers, we've got rights. How can they abandon a whole community when people are being disturbed?'

Fearing that they were becoming a little paranoid about the constant drone of the spray dryer and the irritating bleepers used by forklift trucks at the dead of night they conducted a house to house survey near their Pine Villas home and found support from 50 households.

Scores put their names to a petition protesting at the 'high levels of noise,' generated from the tile factory during the hours of darkness.

The Newtons have taken their noise complaints to the very top, with Prince Charles, Tony Blair and Environment Secretary Michael Meacher all receiving details of their problems.

While Prince Charles said something should be done, the other two passed the buck, Mrs Newton said.

Twice she has arranged for Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross to come out and monitor the noise but claims that on both occasions the factory was tipped off so the visits had to be cancelled.

Mr Newton said everyone in the area is on a short fuse and his nerves have been made 'dreadful,' by the constant noise.

'If Teignbridge are closing their files it leaves the book open for BCT to do what they like when they like. They have free rein. Other than the residents who is going to police them?

'We would like a night's sleep. The levels of noise are unacceptable. Someone needs to reappraise them.'

Richard Cox, Teignbridge's deputy chief environmental officer, said BCT had reduced its noise level to that below the level of a statutory noise nuisance and was within the World Health Organisation guide values.

'We are satisfied that we have gone as far as we can in reducing noise levels,' he said.

'If you live in Buckfastleigh, Bovey, Heathfield or Kennford you are going to hear the road. If you live at Teignmouth you are going to hear the sea. We can't guarantee peace and quiet.

'We have given advice to the company about the movement and operation of forklifts but the occasional movement wouldn't be a statutory nuisance.'

Mr Cox said he had monitored noise from the complainants' bedroom – with the windows open – and not found it to be a statutory nuisance.

Jerry Davison, managing director of BCT, said in a statement that the firm was very conscious of its environmental and community responsibilities and had done everything possible to ensure that noise levels were minimised.

'The environmental health department is satisfied that we have done everything practicable to control factory noise levels to within acceptable limits.

'BCT has expended considerable amounts of money to achieve this,' he said.