Wandsworth Council is asking residents to write to Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin to tell him how their lives are affected by aircraft noise.

The minister is set to make changes to Heathrow flight pattern rules which will have major impacts on residents' health and quality of life.

Over the last 14 months the council has received more than 1,000 reports of increased aviation noise from local people and complaints about the strain of being kept awake from 4.30 in the morning as the first flights come in.

Leader of Wandsworth Council Ravi Govindia said: "There has been no serious attempt to engage with local people over these trials nor assess the impacts of people's day-to-day lives.

"How can our residents have any confidence in a process they have been shut out of from the start?

"Heathrow won't listen so we have to go direct to the decision maker." You can email Patrick McLoughlin at patrick.mcloughlin@dft.gsi.gov.uk Wandsworth Council is a founder member of the 2M group.

The group, which took its name from the 2 million residents of the original 12 authorities, now represents a combined population of 5 million people.