LITTLETON Panell resident Richard Scott has hit out at Army helicopters for continuously hovering over the village.

Mr Scott, 66, a retired architect, said he was tolerant of military training on Salisbury Plain but the latest activity was unreasonable and excessive.

He said it had taken place over the last week or so and consisted mainly of two helicopters hovering over and circling the village at a low level, before one would fly off, followed by the other.

When a Gazette reporter called Mr Scott on Monday afternoon the loud drone of a helicopter could be heard over his home.

Mr Scott said: “We know Army activity is necessary in this and other villages around Salisbury Plain and we put up with fairly loud bangs and the shelling sometimes goes on beyond 11pm. I have no problem with the air ambulance or even the occasional Chinook, which is much noisier, passing overhead, but the continuous hovering we are being subjected to is unreasonable and unacceptable.

“The forces have 150 square miles to exercise in. Why are the Army presuming they have the right to include the air space over our homes?

“When I lived in London I was under the flight path to Heathrow and I became accustomed to aircraft noise. This is not quite the same – it sounds like a very loud lawnmower and it’s overhead. It’s extremely annoying.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “The recent helicopter activity on Salisbury Plain has been the result of a large military exercise running since 27th August and which concludes on 5th September.

“The exercise is preparing the brigade that is next to deploy into Afghanistan. For operational reasons, the exercise is more concentrated than normal and is one of the largest in recent years.”