AIRLINES operating planes that frequently fly outside preferred routes around Stansted should face stiff fines, according to a member of the airport's noise and track-keeping committee.

Norman Mead said: "Initially this should start with gross offenders who are way off course. They should be penalised right away, but this needs a change in law which we should have."

Mr Mead said Stansted Airport would welcome the ability to fine frequent offenders who stray outside the 3km wide noise preferential routes, designed to protect villagers from excessive noise.

"As more and more aircraft with good navigation gear are expected to stay within noise preferential routes, I think we should tighten up the fining system to cover any infringements from the 3km swath, but we're not quite in that position yet."

Mr Mead said technology was being improved to a point where "aircraft can reasonably be expected to stay within the swath".

The news follows a directive from the minister for aviation Chris Mullin, that noise limits at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted be reduced early this year.

Planes taking off between 7am and 11pm will have to be three decibels quieter from February 25, down from 97 to 94 decibels. Flights between 11.30pm and 6am must be two decibels quieter, down from 89 to 87 decibels.

The noise limits apply up to a distance of 6.5 kms from when the aircraft starts rolling.

At Stansted, airlines that infringe the limit by three decibels will be fined £500, and £1,000 for breaches above three decibels.

Mr Mead, from Great Hallingbury, said: "We welcome the lower levels. Considering nothing has been done since the original levels were implemented in 1963, it's about time."

However, he added: "One or two decibels is not very audible though with all the hype about aircraft getting quieter you'd have thought the industry could have done better."

Although older and noisier aircraft such as the B111 are being phased out, Mr Mead said noise exemptions existed for older aircraft which fly into Stansted from developing nations.

He added that while quieter aircraft were being introduced, the programme of improvement had been accompanied by a "colossal increase in the volume of traffic".

This had happened against a backdrop of increasing flights over Great Hallingbury as the airport attempted to move more aircraft within the noise preferential routes over the village.

Mr Mead said: "Any advantage of the quieter aircraft I think has been offset by the increase in volume and by changes in the rectification of the flight path."

Stansted Airport managing director John Stent said: "Already the noisier chapter two aircraft are being phased out and will all be gone in a little over a year by March 31 2002. The reduction in take-off noise limits is a welcome additional improvement which will benefit the local environment."

During the 12 months to the end of last November, 60 aircraft infringed the present noise limits out of around 82,000 departures.