A FLYING noise pest could be given the silent treatment if a £40,000 bid is successful.

Since the Islander aeroplane was introduced as part of the region's criminal detection weaponry in 1996, its police forces have been inundated with complaints from residents.

They say the noise generated by the heat-seeking aircraft, which often operates at night, is so loud that it keeps them awake.

The North-East air support unit, which runs the aircraft on behalf of the Cleveland, Northumbria and Durham police authorities, has looked at several options to make its flight more discreet.

Now it believes it has found the answer, in the form of engine silencers and modified propellers designed by Britten-Norman Group, the Islander's manufacturer.

On Thursday, members of the Cleveland Police Authority will be asked to endorse a request to the Home Office for £40,000 to fund the improvements.

Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of the authority, said: "The air support service is a vital element in fighting crime across the region and it has to be available on an around-the-clock basis.

"But, together with our colleagues in Northumbria and Durham, we have been concerned by the noise problems which have led to many complaints from the public."

If the proposed Home Office bid is successful, the three police authorities will have to jointly make up the £10,000 shortfall to meet the silencers' total cost