Aircraft noise is affecting twice as many people in the UK as it was a decade ago, according to a new survey.

The proportion of people claiming to be significantly disturbed by planes has doubled from two per cent in 2000 to four per cent in 2012, a newly published government report indicates.

More than 2,700 people across the UK were quizzed about the impact of noise on their daily lives for the survey commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Noisy neighbours remained the biggest bugbear, with 11 per cent of respondents declaring them a significant irritant, followed by eight per cent for road traffic.

But aircraft noise was the only category to show a marked increase in the latest National Noise Attitude Survey, with roughly 2.4 million people now saying it has a serious impact.

Nearly a third (31 per cent) of people said they were bothered to some extent by the din from planes - up from 20 per cent in 2000.

HACAN, the anti-Heathrow expansion campaign group, claimed the figures proved the introduction of quieter planes did not necessarily mean less disturbance for those on the ground.

Its chairman John Stewart said: "The results are revealing. This dramatic increase in the numbers disturbed by aircraft took place during a decade when planes were becoming a little quieter. It can only be accounted for by the rise in the number of aircraft using UK airports.”

"It should act as a warning to those who argue that the noise climate around Heathrow will improve even if a third runway is built because of the introduction of quieter planes and improved operational practices."

Bosses at Heathrow have claimed that even with a third runway and 260,000 more flights a year, the number of people affected by aircraft noise would fall by a third due to quieter planes.

They last month hailed the arrival of the first Airbus A350 XWB to serve the airport, saying it was 21 decibels quieter than required by regulations for a plane of its size. They promised to phase out older and noisier planes in favour of new models like the XWB.