Godfrey Bloom

It is an open secret that wind turbines are as silent as they are invisible as they are value for money. But Britain's energy policies have been created by people who believe that 400-foot tall machines with 250-foot long rotating assemblies make no impression on the senses and no impact on the nation's economy. It is as if nobody ever stopped to think: I wonder what it's like, living next to a machine. It is as if machines were known for being easy on the eye and ear, and for blending into rural landscapes.

One couple who found their trust in this country's policy-makers was misplaced are Julian and Jane Davies. They didn't anticipate any problems with the wind farm being installed close to their Lincolnshire home in 2006. But when it arrived, it produced such a racket that their home became a hostile environment. Unable to tolerate the noise, they moved into rented accommodation and began legal action against the developers to recover the value of their home, which was no longer marketable. Nobody wants to buy a home next to a noisy wind farm.

The Telegraph are reporting that the Davises claim has been settled out of court. But there is a catch. Says the newspaper:

Both sides said in a joint press release: ''The terms of that settlement are strictly confidential, and the parties will not be answering any questions about the terms of that agreement.''

The case was described as being of general importance because hundreds of other families say they have suffered similar disturbance from wind farms up and down the country.

The operators were accused at the start of the High Court hearing earlier this year of trying to impose "a code of silence" on those examining or recording the noise the turbines caused.

There's an irony in the operators of noisy machines forcing their critics into silence. It has taken years for the Davises to see justice, and for the wind farm operators to admit responsibility for the injury, expense and distress caused by the noise they have made. The presumption in favour of wind farm developers in the planning process and the huge profits guaranteed to them by insane energy policies mean that they are free to put wind farms where they please. Unlike the individuals who have to suffer them, they are able to afford expensive legal action, before and after construction of their turbines.

Thanks to the bravery of this couple, however, the country has seen that it is possible for the Davises of this world to slay their Goliaths -- huge energy companies and their resources. Gagged they may be, but the Davises have sent a message loud and clear: wind farms are noisy. The companies who tried for so many years to deny the truth are unable to sustain the lie.