Article by Barry Nelson, The Northern Echo, www.thenorthernecho.co.uk 4 March 2010

An expert on sleep disorders will tell a North-East conference this weekend that wind turbines should not be built within two kilometres of homes to avoid health problems.

Dr Chris Hanning, a retired NHS sleep disorder specialist, is one of a number of experts due to speak at a conference in Darlington on Saturday.

Organised by the Bolam Area Action Group, the Wind Action Conference, at Polam Hall, will bring together 140 opponents of wind farms from Devon up to the Highlands of Scotland.

Dr Hanning, who founded one of the largest NHS hospital services of its kind in the UK, in Leicester, has reviewed more than 40 international reports on the impact of wind farm noise.

He is convinced that building wind turbines within two kilometres of homes will lead to health problems, because of the low frequency noise produced by turbine blades.

THE PRESS OFFICE OF
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon 

In a written response to a question raised in the House of Lords by the independent Labour Peer, Lord Stoddart of Swindon, the Government has provided statistics which clearly show that the amount of power supplied by wind turbines during the extreme cold weather experienced in Britain in the early part of January 2010 was minimal.  During most of the period 1 - 15th January, the wind power system was providing less than 50% of its capacity and frequently lower than 30%.  On three days of the winter freeze it was providing 10% or less, with the lowest output at 5% on 7th January.  To put this in context, even with the wind system operating in normal weather conditions, it can only produce around 1% of the country's power requirement.