A repair centre in Deal’s Minters Yard is to move its noisy chimney vents after residents contacted the Mercury to complain about the racket.

The constant humming coming from CSG Accident Repair Centre has been making the lives of Pat Burke, 75, and his wife Betty, 74 of Southwall Road, a misery for the past three weeks.

It began when the company, which works with spray paints, updated and moved the position of its chimney vents.

Housebound Mr Burke, who is registered disabled and has various health issues including the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and epilepsy, says he is confined to his living room where he relies on a fan to cool him down because he can’t bear to have the windows and doors open.

But the former Lord Mayor of Canterbury says even then, the noise can still be heard through their new double glazing.

He said: “We never heard a sound like that before. What bothers us is there was no consultation. They never approached us. We just saw these things go up.

“I used to sit out the back and admire the garden and talk to my neighbours but now I can’t.”

Mrs Burke said: “They had a vent that was most sufficient. You couldn’t hear it. The filters were good, there was nothing coming out of it. They could get on with their work and we could quite happily sit out in the garden, but they dismantled that and put this monstrosity in.”

Their neighbour Isobel Gidman, who suffers with emphysema, a type of COPD, is in the same position.

She said: “I have lived here for 29 years. My husband and I know that you’ve got to have industry somewhere and we know people have got the have jobs and we support that. We don’t mind people hammering or banging but this is beyond a joke.

“We’ve had a beautiful summer and we’ve had to stay indoors.

“It went on until 7.30pm one night. Work on industrial estates is supposed to finish at 6pm.”

Mr Burke added: “It’s not right. I shouldn’t be confined to my house. We live in England, a country that is supposed to be fair to everyone. I always thought that you took care of the elderly?”

The pensioner, who used to play football and rugby for Deal, has suffered three falls in the last 10 days which his wife puts down to stress.

He said: “We’re not unreasonable. We know that they’ve got to carry out their work there but when they introduce equipment that is detrimental to the health of neighbours that’s when we have got to say something.”

Both residents claim that the company does not have planning permission to site the chimneys where they are.

Manager Chris Gibb, who has run the company for 11 years, has defended CSG’s position.

He said: “We’ve are working with Dover District Council to get this matter resolved.

“We have ordered silencers and extensions to have the chimneys moved away from the houses. I’m hoping they will arrive Friday and Saturday to be installed next week.

“The silencers are going to reduce the sound by 50%. I hope it will then have 0% effect on the houses.

“We didn’t realise how much noise it was going to make and I don’t want to upset the neighbours.”