Ref. 29751-93TRAINS, trucks and automobiles are causing misery for the occupants of what could be Britain's noisiest home.

Suffering from the rock concert levels of noise are Graham and Heather Bishop who are sleepless in South Marston.

They live in Shrivenham Road, just five feet away from the busy A420, the Swindon to Oxford road.

The other side of that is the main railway line.

Dozens of high speed trains pass through Swindon on their way to London, South Wales and the west each day, occasionally stopping for the recently installed lights on a gantry, which sees them rumbling for minutes at a time, sending vibrations through the house.

Heather, 53, who works for the family's landscaping business, has lived in the house for two years. "The noise is unbearable," she said.

"We don't have that many visitors, we go and see them. We cannot use any of the rooms at the front of the house. The front porch is too dangerous to use and we don't use the television upstairs at night.

"We had to wear earplugs in bed but they were no use and kept on falling out. But then we got these American ones made out of beeswax which were great, but became uncomfortable. If it isn't a truck going by then it's freight or a passenger train rumbling through."

Graham, 48, said: "The noise and traffic has quadrupled over the 10 years I have been here with so many HGVs using the road.

"I think it is mainly the suddenness of the noise, and we have managed to cut that down with rubber mats.

"But the garden is unusable it would be like sitting out next to a runway."

Tests at the 150-year-old house have shown the noise level can reach up to 99 decibels equivalent to living at the end of an airport runway or next door to a rock concert.

The couple have tried various methods to keep the noise out, including over-sized doormats hanging from windows, and have petitioned for salvation in the form of a bypass.

They refuse to move and say they would rather campaign to live in the home they love than be forced out by the noise.

The Bishops, who live with children Christine, 15, and Robert 21, who are from Graham's previous marriage, rent the house but do not want to say what it costs a month.

The house has now been shortlisted by the Noise Abatement Society in their House Of Pane competition, the winners of which will see their home kitted out in soundproofing measures.

South Swindon MP Julia Drown, who recommended the couple approach the NAS about their situation, said: "I am pleased so far at least that they have been able to laugh off what is a serious situation.

"I just hope they do win this noisiest home competition so they get the noise abatement features for their home."

Peter Wakeham, the director of the NAS, said: "Everyone loves their bit of sanctuary and their peace and quiet. But this case is one of the most extreme I have seen.

"Noise is a pollutant, it can affect our sleep and in turn our concentration at work and while we are driving. But this is the sign of modern progress."

The Noise Abatement Society aims to draw attention to the problems of noise pollution.

Anthony Osborne