They had better not 'think about it' for too long as the concerns of local residents are not going away

Mark Thatcher anti-noise campaigner

He said the European Court of Human Rights ruling should send a message to the government that communities near airports need better protection.

"The ruling should put pressure on the government to act.

"They had better not 'think about it' for too long as the concerns of local residents are not going away," Mr Thatcher said.

East Midlands Airport is a large cargo hub with a high number of night flights.

An airport spokesman said 1,350 people at the airport work in the cargo and mail sector, which depends largely on night flights.

The airport says it will work with local residents

"We are very mindful of the need to strike a balance between passenger needs, the demands of the express cargo industry and local communities," said a statement from the airport.

It added that the airport will continue to working with local residents to find a solution to their concerns.

John Pike, who also campaigns against airport noise, said there are substantially more night flights at East Midlands Airport than at Heathrow.

The European Court ruling "gives us a good case," he told BBC Radio Leicestershire.

The ruling is not binding on the government, although the convention on which it is based is now in UK law as the Human Rights Act.

Junior Transport Minister David Jamieson said the government could not give a full response until it had "all the facts" and had fully studied the ruling.