NEW wind turbines on the roof of Inverclyde Royal Hospital are causing a storm among nearby residents.

The first of the new environmentally-friendly turbines has been installed above the huge hospital building but already concerns have been raised about noise pollution.

One woman who lives close to the IRH, in Arran View, told the Tele the noise being generated by the equipment is too loud and sounds 'like a helicopter'.

She said she was taken aback by the din made by the turbine and fears the situation will get worse once the remaining ones start work.

Hospital bosses blamed the noise on a fault with the wind turbine.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: "I thought it was a helicopter overhead. It just came from nowhere.

"I've heard there are going to be six of them. If they have the potential to create this level of noise, there could be an ongoing problem. It's a real concern." The turbine plan was passed by Inverclyde Planning Board earlier this year and are a part of a plan to cut the hospital's carbon footprint.

But the unhappy resident who contacted the Tele claims she received no information directly from health chiefs about the development.

She added: "We had no letters or any information from the hospital telling us this was going to be happening.

"There are lots of estates and houses around here and lots of people with children. The noise from these turbines could be a real nuisance and I dread to think what it will be like when the higher winds start." A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: "One of the six wind turbines installed last week at Inverclyde Royal Hospital developed a fault on Sunday, which led to it producing excessive noise.

"Due to extremely windy conditions it was not safe for staff to go onto the roof and close down the wind turbine until yesterday morning.

"The noise produced as a result of this fault exceeded the noise levels expected from these machines under normal operating conditions, this particular turbine will not be returned to service until the problem has been fully rectified."