THEY SAY that every cloud has a silver lining, and that was certainly the case for Feltham residents who enjoyed an unusually quiet weekend thanks to the ash crisis.

As the temperatures climbed, householders headed out to local parks and beer gardens to enjoy the sunshine - but with one key difference.

For an area famously plagued by aircraft noise and pollution, people could make the most of an uninterrupted lie-in and clear air while all flights were grounded as a result of the ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano.

Cranford residents Gurpal and Sathat Virdi spoke to The Chronicle about how the one off experience has made them give serious consideration to looking for a home elsewhere.

Mr Virdi said: "We always get disturbed in the morning by 4.30am flights, it has been so peaceful, it really was great. We always get the smell of Kerosene and that makes me cough a lot but I didn't cough at all this weekend. You could hear the birds singing and we even sat in the garden for a change."

The 51-year-old policeman said he and his wife took the opportunity to do some gardening and visit three nearby parks for long walks. They do not usually sit in their own garden due to the volume of the aircraft. But while the break was a pleasant treat, it has made the pair think about relocating after realising just how peaceful life can be.

They moved to Cranford in 1984 and realised that aircraft would be a part of life, but Mr Virdi says the situation has got much worse over the past few years.

He said: "It wasn't as bad as it is now. Suddenly when you have a peaceful weekend you think 'we have got to get out of here'. You really do appreciate the quietness and the benefits of it, because I grew up in Hounslow there have always been planes. We are now considering moving."

Chiswick residents find ash on their cars - page 2

WITH no sign of Iceland's volcanic eruption easing - the country is still in air-travel lock-down with an ash cloud descending upon the country.

And Hounslow residents are claiming to be some of the most affected by the natural phenomena. On Saturday, those living in Chiswick reported finding dust on their cars after volcanic ash started falling out of a "clear, bright sky".

It has been reported that Scientists are now testing the deposits to check if they pose any health risks, although initial tests from dust found in Scotland by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency suggested risks were "minimal".

With planes out of Heathrow still grounded, thousands of holiday makers are stuck abroad - anxious to get home, but many Hounslow residents will be finding the lull in plane take-offs and landings a welcome respite.

Colin Gillman of Wills Crescent in Whitton contacted the Chronicle on Monday morning and said: "The Easter holidays are over and all are, thankfully, back at school. But the thing I notice the most is the wonderful sound of the birds singing and chirruping in the trees in and around my back garden.

"It's a beautiful sound and one that is hardly heard due to the almost constant cacophony of noise pollution from the planes taking off from Heathrow and flying – one almost every 90 seconds – over the back of my house.

"I'm sure others too have enjoyed this brief respite – thanks to the Icelandic volcanic ash floating high in our skies – from planes flying almost constantly overhead and this leads me to think that perhaps this isn't such a bad thing."

The Ash which is drifting in a cloud extending up from 8,000 to 30,000 feet, could disrupt flights for up to six months.

Graeme Leith, who heads the Met-Office's defence forecasting service said: "This is Mother Nature. We're stuck in this phase until the volcano decides to sleep. Even if it cuts off today, which it shows no sign of doing, the ash would take another two to three days to fall out from the skies."

Volount Eyjafjallajokull began erupting last month, but it was only last Wednesday that its activity became "serious". Because the volcano is situated below a glacial ice cap, the magma is being cooled quickly, causing the grit that could be dangerous to plane engines.