NIGHT flights are “inflicting severe mental and physical suffering on residents”, it has been claimed as a prospective MP vows to tackle the issue..

Frustrated residents are demanding overnight Amazon cargo from Southend Airport are scrapped as a matter of urgency.

However, bosses say the flights helped the airport survive in the Covid pandemic while a “community noise forum” has been set up to dicuss the impact on residents. .

Anna Firth, prospective Tory MP who could replace the late Sir David Amess, said: “A number of residents have written to me about the problem of night flights. It’s clearly a big problem, it’s clearly unacceptable for people not to be able to get a decent night’s sleep.

“If I am elected to be your MP I will be making it a priority to make the airport work for the whole community.”

David Smith, who lives near the airport, has written repeatedly to airport bosses demanding they stop the flights.

In an email, he said: “If you will not do this for the local residents, you must do it in memory of Sir David Amess, and his publicly repeated and most sincere wish for all night flights to be ended.

“This is to remind you once again of your continuing deliberate and callous infliction of severe mental and physical suffering on thousands of local Southend residents due to your night flight operations since 22nd October 2019.

“This is a growing cancer in our society which must be eradicated.”

A spokesman for Southend Airport said: “The logistics operation has played a vital role in supporting the airport during a pandemic that has had a major negative impact on our communities.

“It allowed imports and exports from the UK that were vital during the height of the pandemic and the income from the logistics operation allowed us to support several hundred jobs.

“We recognise, however, that airport related noise may be an issue for some in our community and for that reason we have established a community noise forum to enable constructive working on this issue. We look forward to making progress over the forthcoming months and to constructive dialogue with all stakeholders.”