Campaigners have attacked schemes to help people affected by noise from Gatwick airport.

Brendon Sewill, chairman of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, said new packages to compensate people worst affected by noise were "laughable" as they did not even cover all the buildings within the airport's boundaries.

The British Airports Authority is offering to pay the cost of double glazing at schools and hospitals in the worst-affected area, almost directly under the flight path.

But just two nursery schools will benefit from the package, called the Community Buildings Noise Insulation Scheme.

The Home Relocation Assistance Scheme has been launched to compensate people for the loss of value to their properties when they move house but covers an area either side of the runway with only a few dozen households in it.

The scheme offers people moving out of their homes £5,000 plus 1.5 per cent of the sale value of their homes up to a maximum of £12,500.

Mr Sewill said the area covered was so small a house built on the site of the South Terminal would not qualify.

He said: "This will help just two nurseries and fewer than 40 households.

"The scheme was worked out for Heathrow where there are many more schools, hospitals and houses affected by noise. They should have produced a scheme for a wider area."

He said the package was also flawed because it gave the same compensation to people however long they had lived under the flight path.

Paul Griffiths, the airport's managing director, said: "Noise from Gatwick is one of the biggest concerns for people living nearby. We have developed schemes we think are both fair and responsible and we hope they go some way to mitigating the impacts of being one of Gatwick's near neighbours." Both schemes start on October 3. For information visit www.gatwickairport.com.