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Furious neighbours say their lives have been turned into a nightmare after an airport revamp has led to up to 50 jets a day taxiing before take-off - at the bottom of their gardens.

One pensioner, June Marchant, claimed that she no longer has barbecues in her otherwise picturesque garden due to the booming engines of planes that loom over her quaint bungalow, she also said she has to 'pause the TV until the plane has gone past'. 

Alex and June Carr are also among those suffering after a revamp of Southend Airport in Essex. Their attempts to get a bit of peace and quiet on their lawn are ruined by the sight of huge passenger planes passing by just yards away. 

They've lived in the house two doors down from Ms Marchant for 28 years but say that 'the fumes even force us to go out for the day.'

They live in a row of houses that is right next to a new taxiing strip, which aircraft taxi along belching fumes and noise from 6.00am and 11.00pm every single day.

Ms Marchant says the problem began in November 2017 when the airport - which has stood in various forms since 1914 - rehabilitated its 'Charlie Taxiway' which is the route used for planes taking off from the eastward runway.

One morning Ms Marchant opened her curtains and said to her partner: 'There's a bloody great jet in our garden!'

Alex and June Carr in their garden which backs on to Southend Airport in Essex. The Carrs and their neighbours say an airport revamp has ruined their peace and quiet

Janet Marchant has lived in a bungalow - built by her grandfather in 1953 - next to Southend airport in Essex for seven years without a major problems but now she says she's had enough and wants change. 

She says the constant noise and smell of fumes from the aircraft has made the lives of her and her neighbours on Wells Avenue a misery and even claims that it is making her partner ill. 

She said that the peace and quiet is shattered by a plane taxiing near her home every 20 minutes. 

Retired newsagent Ms Marchant said: 'You can't have a conversation in the garden with anyone because you can't hear them and when we are inside with the door closed we have to pause the TV until the plane has gone past.

Alex and June Carr try to enjoy their garden but they face jets coming in to land as well as lifting off from Southend airport

'We worry about our grandchildren coming around and the enjoyment of having people over for BBQs is ruined.

'I love my garden and used to do a lot of gardening but now it is all spoiled with the noise and the smell.'

Ms Marchant also said she worried about the damage it will do to the value of her house: 'You do worry if you have a house viewing and there's a huge plane sat at the bottom of the garden.'

She added: 'Every plane is legitimate but it's a nuisance, is it morally right? I don't know what to do, I have done everything.'

An easyJet plane passes along the runway as Mr and Mrs Carry enjoy their otherwise pleasant back garden 

A marked view of Southend Airport in Essex- showing Wells Avenue and the taxiway that planes are now using after resurfacing

The back of a house in Wells Avenue next to Southend Airport in Essex, showing just how close the houses are to the airport

'My partner's breathing is now not so good and my neighbours say they can't sit outside or open their windows at certain times of the day.

'Yesterday there were about 10 that went past and one was sat waiting for about 10 minutes before it took off and it was incredibly noisy.

'It can't be good for your health.

'We aren't against the airport but this is the most convenient and cheapest option for the airport.'

The Carr's also said they worry about their - and their grandchildren's - health, saying that they can sometimes even taste the fumes from the engines. 

June Carr said: 'It's detrimental to our health. I have five grandchildren and I don't let them play in the garden anymore.

'No one would want to live this near to an airport and people are having breathing difficulties. It's negligent and irresponsible.'

Her husband Alex said that on sunny days they 'have to go inside' adding that it's 'horrible to see a dirty great big aircraft at the end of the garden.'

The estate agent added: 'The noise can be horrendous even when you are inside with the doors and windows shut but it's the smell that is really unacceptable and you can even taste it at times.

Janet Marchant in her garden up the tail fin of a Ryanair plan (left) and the Marchands as a plane passes by 

'We were never told about the revamp of that taxi route and there was no consultation about it. The airport staff have not been open or transparent with us and we are very angry that we have been overlooked.' 

Despite these claims, the airport website states that there were quarterly consultations with residents.  

Ms Marchant recently received a letter from the airport telling her to stop complaining about the noise, she claims she was banned from making complaints.  

'Last month I was banned from making complaints online through their website but I am not going to stop, I have been down every avenue to stop this,' she said. 

Alex and June Carr in their garden. Neighbours have said a huge jet passes up to every 20 minutes near the residential area

In a statement, Southend Airport said Ms Marchant is suspended, not banned and 'the decision was made by the ACC, not the airport.'

They added that there were 430 individual complaints, of which '400+' came from the 67-year-old.  

She said the planes are often held near her garden and that the back thrust when they set off again produces noise and fumes.

The problem is expected to get worse as the summer season approaches and the airport gets busier.

Over head image of Southend Airport with the row of houses circled at the bottom 

A spokesman from Southend Airport said: 'London Southend Airport is very proud of both its long heritage, having been an airport since 1914, and the important, positive role it plays in the community.

'We appreciate that the Wells Avenue properties were built close to the Charlie Taxiway, and are currently engaging with those residents through quarterly meetings and are actively investigating active measures to reduce noise.

'The airport has ambitious plans to grow, and will continue to work closely with the CAA to ensure the airport remains safe and environmentally responsible for all our stakeholders.

As well as great, lumbering passenger jets, residents also face noise from light aircraft (foreground) and building work

'We have recorded and investigated over 430 individual complaints and found that in every case, the aircraft concerned was operating normally, legitimately and within the Airports operating framework.'

On the airport's website, it is stated that there were concerns from local residents following a 'misleading headline in a local newspaper' asserting that the runway was being extended. 

But the airport said that 'isn't true' and they are carrying out necessary maintenance to the runway to make it safer by resurfacing it. 

The works started at the far end of the runway towards Rochford and is now at the cusp of properties including Ms Marchant's and the Carry's as it approaches its expected three-month timescale. 

The taxiway by the houses is not being relayed but may need some resurfacing where it joins the runway, the website states.  

Wells Avenue looks quiet - with no hint of the enormous planes taxiing for take-off just yards from these homes' back fences