NEIGHBOURS of the former National Air Traffic Service (NATS) building in West Drayton are living in a noisy, dusty hell.

And to make matters worse, nobody told them how bad it could get.

Dust from the demolition of the former NATS premises in Porters Way is making people's lives a misery, and a consultation to advise them about the work did not take place because 6,000 leaflets were not delivered.

Work began last week in preparation for a development of 773 homes, but already, residents say, their own homes are almost unliveable, because deafening noise is shaking buildings to their foundations.

Developer Inland Homes has apologised, but says the problems are unavoidable as the structure of the building, which was built to withstand airstrikes, means this is no ordinary demolition job.

Mark Shave, of Porters Way, said: "There should be hoardings to protect us from the dust, but there is just a green mesh - I saw an elderly gentleman trying to jetwash the dust off the front of his house.

"People have been walking past saying their eyes are stinging. I do not understand how I have green grass out the back and white grass out the front.

"The noise is unbearable from 8am. There was one instance where the house shook and it felt like it was going to collapse."

Pedro Longras, senior land buyer at Inland Homes, said: "We are using four firemen's hoses to clear dust, which physically men can only hold for two hours at a time.

"We had a dustbuster on site, which broke, and we have had to take it back to the depot to get it repaired.

"But it is a 32-acre site, a former MOD base built to the highest specifi-cation possible.

"It was designed to be blast-proof, with concrete four times as thick, reinforced with metal. It is a tremendous job we have on our hands.

"There was one incident where a wall collapsed and the wind was not in our favour, so it made an extra big bang, sending a plume of dust into the air.

"The base has these phenomenal basements in the ground, built for the staff to use for evacuation.

"We are trying our hardest, but just like you can't make an omelette without cracking an egg, you can't demolish a building without creating dust.

"We are on schedule, and hope to have the main bulk of the work done by Christmas. After that will be the tidy-up, which will not have so much of an impact, before construction starts.

"We arranged for a leaflet drop notifying residents about an open evening last Tuesday ahead of the work, to meet the employees and build some community links. We stood around for hours wondering where everybody was. It turned out the leafleting company let us down and 6,000 were not delivered."

Hillingdon Council said it was talking to residents and the developer to ensure concerns were addressed.