We are a group of residents who, along with our kids, have been kept awake until 1.00 am most summer weekends by the emptying of a 1,400 space car park and bus drop off/pick up point within metres from our homes.

Believe it or not, this car park is operating without planning permission on a high risk development area (mining) – yet most weekends we have had to put up with car alarms, car horns, fumes, queuing traffic, noisy generators, shouting and floodlights shining into our windows – all to provide parking for ‘Kynren’, a pseudo-historical pageant event which kicked off at 9.30pm and finished at 11pm with a grand finale of noisy fireworks.

Forget about using our gardens for a quiet drink before a good night’s rest! We lay awake in our beds, with our kids (and our animals) disturbed by noise from the site and from the car park. This is destroying our lives and our health.

We have repeatedly contacted our local council, Durham County Council, and expressed our concerns but they have done nothing to help. We feel trapped in a nightmarish David and Goliath battle as the developer is a multi-millionaire investment banker.

We want our health back and our quality of life back. We would like to be able to go to sleep peacefully at night, we want to enjoy our homes and environment including protected species. We would like to ensure that things are done right - as in our considered opinion they definitely aren’t being done right at the moment.

We have had a whole summer of this and are looking to raise £1,500 to obtain legal advice about any action we can take to stop this nightmare returning next summer and every summer from now on.

Critically, we understand that the approach and failure by our local authority is by no means unusual and it is often the case that residents face inaction by their Councils, who are the very organisations that should be able to protect the environment.

Dr Paul Stookes, solicitor-advocate at Richard Buxton Environmental & Public Law noted:

"It is our experience that councils and environmental regulators up and down the country are failing in their responsibility to protect the environment and the quality of life of individuals and communities. The approach of Durham County Council in this instance is extremely concerning where the consequences of inappropriate development are simply being ignored."

We would be grateful for any support you can provide us try to stop the noise and pollution and also to get the Council to comply with the obligation to protect the environment. Please help!

Cars exit car parks from 11:25 pm during most summer weekends - environmental impacts include car horns, shouting, car alarms, revving, air pollution and other health effects for residents: