FAMILIES whose lives have been blighted by a noisy speaker system at a tube station next to their homes say the noise has got WORSE a year after the Guardian first highlighted their woes.

Households along Pulteney Road and Marlborough Road near South Woodford underground stop have had to put up with regular, loud announcements about train services since a new system of around 50 speakers was installed, which they say is "ruining" their lives.

And now, despite a reported lull last Autumn following repeated complaints, the involvement of Lee Scott MP and the London Assembly, the "loud and unnecessary" announcements have returned.

Ann Masters, of Pulteney Road, said: "It’s just really awful. Christmas and New Year were terrible, and it’s not only affecting us. The other day I was up George Lane by NatWest bank and I could hear it there, every word.

"Transport for London (TfL) say they were going to retrain staff at the platform to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, but now it’s worse than ever. It’s very, very loud."

Neighbour Pat King agreed.

She said: "It seems to be whoever is working on a particular day depends how loud it is. It can be quite quiet one day and then really loud the next.

"You get announcements saying the trains are running fine, but people on the platform only need these announcements when things are not running fine."

The problem is not unique to South Woodford.

According to a report by the London Assembly, 72 of the capital's 150 overground tube stations have been the subject of noise complaints from residents.

Hopes were raised in April last year that TfL may back down, after the organisation had to pay out £115,000 to Kensington and Chelsea Council following the collapse of a court battle between the two over a noise abatement order at Earls Court station.

However TfL have said the case was unique to the circumstances and Earls Court, and would not set a precedent.

A spokeswoman for TfL said: "London Underground considers both customers and neighbours when installing Public Address systems and in most instances the balance is achieved.

"Station staff have strict guidelines to follow on how often announcements should be made, many of these are pre-recorded and can be set to play at various intervals over the course of the day.

"London Underground needs to keep customers well informed in relation to service levels and incidents that may affect their journeys and this is essential for many blind and partially sighted customers.

"We also need to balance this with being considerate neighbours and appreciate that some people might have concerns over the use of the PA systems.

"Last summer managers at South Woodford station met with local residents. As a result of that meeting there are now no PA announcements between the hours of 8pm to 7am unless there is service disruption or an incident.

"We will always be happy to look at concerns that are raised."