A pensioner says she has been forced to leave Reading because of noise and pollution from a train depot.

Georgina Day moved to Reading from Hertfordshire 20 years ago but moved back earlier this year after six years of “unbearable” pollution at the Reading Train Care Depot.

Ms Day lived on Cardiff Road in central Reading, nearby the depot, until she moved back to Hertfordshire on August 30.

The £150 million depot was built by Network Rail and opened by Great Western Railway (GWR) in July 2013.

Great Western Railway (GWR) has imposed an overnight curfew on diesel trains on the tracks behind residential properties in Cardiff Road, the latest of which runs from 11pm to 7am except under “exceptional circumstances”.

Some residents report exceptional circumstances occurring several times a week, with trains starting up to work the day’s services before 7am.

Ms Day said the noise had not improved over the past few months and the diesel fumes in her garden had become “unbearable”.

She said: “GWR are totally ignoring the residents of Cardiff Road.

“The noise and pollution is absolutely ridiculous. If I opened my window, I got pollution.

“At times if the wind was in the right direction the plates on the walls would rattle.

“Being a pensioner, it was driving me insane.

“It is better where I am now. I wish I had moved five years ago.”

RBC served both Network Rail and Great Western a statutory notice to abate the noise nuisance in November 2017.

In January 2018, the rail companies appealed. Mediation to try and avoid litigation failed in January 2019.

Councillor Tony Page, RBC lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “I was very sorry to hear this resident felt she had no option but to leave Reading because of the on-going issues at the train station depot.

“Unfortunately, she is one of a number of Cardiff Road residents whose lives have been consistently blighted by noise and sleep disturbance since the depot was built in 2013.

“The council has no desire to disrupt the day to day operation of the railway, but we maintain that Network Rail and GWR have a legal responsibility not to create a statutory nuisance and to protect the health of local residents.”

GWR said it has reduced the number of diesel-powered trains at Reading depot by more than half, replacing them with 45 new electric trains, since the depot opened and is working towards reducing further the number of diesel trains.

A GWR spokesman said: “We take our role as a good neighbour very seriously.

“GWR continues to do all we reasonably can to minimise inconvenience to local residents, while meeting our obligations to run an efficient railway operation and providing train services to Reading, the Thames Valley and beyond.”