A woman says a noisy Thames Water generator located just yards from her back door is ruining her life.

Fed up Rachel Freeston, 55, claims she has to endure a "constant" racket and fumes from the machine at the bottom of her garden in Lambourn, Berks."

She says the pollution means she "may as well smoke 50 cigarettes a day" - while the "droning" sounds mean she only gets a few hours sleep each night. "

Thames Water claim that the "filter unit" is "vital" for protecting the river Lambourn from untreated sewage - but say they are looking at "what more can be done to minimise the impact on neighbours"."

But Mrs Freeston, who lives with her husband Stephen, 60, and their 14-year-old son, is desperate for it to be moved - saying it has become "unbearable". "

She is also recovering from breast cancer - and believes the generator is harming her health.

Mrs Freeston said: "I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I can't open doors or windows - because it makes the noise and fumes worse. "

"My friend re-did my garden beautifully last year - but now it's all dead. I can't even use my garden. "

"There is a constant low droning noise which means I've been averaging about three hours sleep a night. "

"I've even moved downstairs to try get away from it - as my bedroom backs onto them. And when the generator runs out - an alarm goes off for hours before they turn up to sort it out. "

"There's also the smoke. You can see it being pumped out."

"I've said to Thames Water that I may as well be smoking 50 cigarettes a day with the amount of fumes I'm inhaling. "

"It's just exhausting. It's draining. It's relentless. It's the only thing you can think about when it's running. "

"Plus, I was diagnosed with breast cancer during the pandemic and I'm now on an ongoing treatment plan. But for my recovery, I'm meant to have a calm environment and avoid stress. "

"So this isn't helping." "

Mrs Freeston, who worked in finance before her cancer diagnosis, says the generator is sometimes taken away for months at a time but is always returned to just 15 yards away from her home.

She says there are days when it is left running for 24 hours - although sometimes it's turned on and off intermittently.

Currently, it is switched off.

Mrs Freeston claims she has consistently asked Thames Water to move the generator - but feels "no one is listening". "

She said: "I've been complaining and fighting and trying to get this sorted for so long but no one is listening. "

"They tell me they're monitoring it or they're looking into it. Or they just tell me they can't move it even though engineers who work on the generator have told me that's not the case. "

"It just seems that they're doing the absolute minimum for me because it's easier for them to have it where it is."

"I feel like I'm just collateral damage." "

Mrs Freeston said Thames Water recently offered her free counselling sessions - which she described as "the last straw" for her. "

She said: "I said, 'Wait a minute, I'm not the one who needs fixing'. That was the last straw for me."

Mrs Freeston added that she and her family would love to move home

- but know they would be unable to sell the property.

She said: "We'd move tomorrow if we could. But this house is worth 25p now. No one would want to live here."

Thames Water apologised for the disruption caused by the generator - which they described as "a filter unit". "

A spokesperson said: "We apologise for any disruption and inconvenience caused by the filter unit, and we are in contact with Ms Freeston to address her concerns. "

"We have installed acoustic panels around the site, and we're looking at what more can be done to minimise its impact on neighbours."

"The filter unit is a vital tool in protecting the River Lambourn from untreated sewage, as we deal with high groundwater levels in the area. "

"It is switched on only when groundwater levels are higher than the sewage system can accommodate."

"Our local teams have been undertaking surveys and rectifying defects in the network to reduce the need for filter units in the future, and these efforts are ongoing."