We collectively acknowledge that reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation has to change and, indeed, that a lack of action by successive governments has compromised the UK’s energy platform.

Unfortunately, a head in the sands approach to the presence of health-damaging low frequency infrasound noise generated by wind turbines is endemic of the lack of willingness of the pro-turbine community to accept the underlying health issues that have come to light.

This infrasound ‘noise’ is not necessarily audible since it is generally in the 1Hz to 20Hz frequency range. The pro-lobby cite existing guidelines – written almost 20 years ago – as being adequate protection for residents near inland wind farms, but these guidelines have been long overdue for review and entirely fail to take into account internationally reported clustered health effects. At this point, future civil liability means that wind turbine manufacturers cannot do anything but to disparage infrasound research from the perspective of its clear causal link to detrimental health effects.

To quote the recent paper by Dr CD Hanning, Honorary Consultant in Sleep Medicine, University Hospitals of Leicester: “Every single published study has shown that wind turbine noise has adverse effects on human sleep and health at distances permitted by ETSU-R-97. There is not a single study showing an absence of effect. There is no evidence that the noise levels permitted by ETSU-R-97 are safe with respect to human sleep and health.

There is considerable evidence that they are not safe.” The panel formulating the ETSU guideline recommended that it be subject to review after three years, but no review has taken place despite the fact that ETSU has been widely criticised for its inadequacies.

In some respects, it is hardly surprising that engineering publications that talk up the supposed green nature of wind farms have failed to enlighten understanding about infrasound-related health issues, since these engineering papers are seldom, if ever, peer-reviewed by experts in the fields of human physiological health and hearing matters. In contrast, medical experts concerningly state “There is overwhelming evidence that wind turbines cause serious health problems in nearby residents, usually stress-disorder type diseases, at a non-trivial rate”.

As a physicist, practising patent attorney and former university lecturer, it concerns me greatly that there is no full, balanced and detailed government investigation into wind farm-generated infrasound that is based on appropriate academic debate and which permits the setting of appropriate, reasonable and agreed safety standards. In fact, given reports of clustered health events round inland wind turbines from the Danes and the Irish, infrasound might not only be responsible for nausea, headaches and sleep lose, but it may also be contributing to heavy menstrual bleeding and other physiological effects that are unpleasant (to say the least).

It would therefore appear that we are playing a game of Russian roulette for the benefit of lining the pockets of a few individuals through monetary subsidies. There is no commercial case that justifies inland wind turbines within Wiltshire as a whole, or particularly at the proposed Thoulstone site where the siting of a large turbine will detract from the visual amenity of Cley Hill and other significant areas of historic or natural beauty.

Blindly, although the real issues surrounding infrasound were raised with Wiltshire County Council for consideration in the revision of the Wiltshire Core Policy, it seems that the consulting Government Inspector’s report side-stepped the health issues entirely.

There is certainly no reason to risk compromising public health when there’s a smoking gun from a growing body of health reports. But the revision of Wiltshire’s Core Policy – due for apparent sign-off on January 20 – will introduce unacceptable and seemingly dangerous arbitrariness into any planning decision on the siting of inland wind farms in Wiltshire. Will our councillors therefore be prepared to take on civil responsibility if and when concerns around infrasound are finally accepted? One would hope that our councillors are adequately briefed on the engineering, commercial and medical issues surrounding wind farms. Regardless, society would be better placed by promoting energy-efficient practices and technologies, eg by investing in communal thermal ground energy systems that are not reliant upon randomly occurring weather-based events.

B C Dearling, Huntenhull Lane, Chapmanslade.