THE moods of thousands of residents, their performance at work and their coronary health may be adversely affected by noise from Kent's M20 motorway, a leading expert has told councillors.

There is also evidence to suggest that the growing problem of traffic noise could hamper the learning development and school performance of children living nearby.

But Professor Stephen Stansfeld, head of psychiatry at Queen Mary, University of London, said that some of the scientific studies, particularly in relation to heart disease, were not totally conclusive.

Cllr Tony Harwood (Lib Dem), chairman of Maidstone Borough Council health and the environment scrutiny committee, said: “We have thousands of people living near to the motorway in Harrietsham, Lenham, Holling-bourne, Thurnham, Bearsted and right through that northern end of Maidstone through to Allington."

He stressed: "It's a forgotten scandal which must be addressed by the Government.”

Noise levels are rising in line with sharp increases in M20 traffic volumes and some residents fear the problem could be exacerbated by the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link which follows a similar route. Almost 50 of them have written letters to the council explaining their plight.

The professor's comments will now form part of a trailblazing report on the overall impact of motorways in the borough which is being prepared by the health and the environment overview and scrutiny committee.