Noise from Heathrow is a 'significant' problem across the whole of London, with even people on the opposite side of the capital from the airport suffering distress, according to new research.

A report, 'No Place to Hide', blames a boom in flying and increases the pressure on government ministers, who are expected to announce in the autumn a decision on whether to build a third runway and sixth terminal at the world's busiest international airport.

Researchers from independent consultancy Bureau Veritas measured noise levels that 'dominated the environment' in south London and found 'significant noise' as far from the airport as Poplar in east London. The volume of complaints and membership of campaign groups are also rising in north London and as far west as Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

The most likely explanation for recent increases in noise is that air traffic controllers are using more approach routes because of growing traffic. The biggest rises were during early mornings and evenings, when people are more likely to be at home.

Hacan ClearSkies, the anti-airport expansion campaign group which commissioned the report, said it did so after membership rose rapidly in areas well beyond the boroughs nearest the airport - albeit from a 'very low base' - despite claims by the airport's owner, BAA, and by the government that noise levels were falling. The report was funded by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

The most common complaint is from people being woken up. Some say they are 'stressed' by noise, and a handful of families have told Hacan they have moved house to escape it, said John Stewart, Hacan's chairman. 'They can't relax, they feel more and more stressed. If people are not used to having the noise, in many ways it's more intensive. It's almost like a noisy elephant in their house they can't escape.'

One of Hacan's members in north London, artist Anne Redmond, said she was regularly woken early and often left the house because she could not work during noisy periods in the day. Redmond, 45, moved to Stoke Newington in north-east London 10 years ago, but started noticing the problem only in 2004. 'I spent two years in emotional breakdown,' she said. 'Now if I get woken up at five o'clock I get up and do things and go back to sleep later when it's not happening.'

A spokesman for Heathrow said all complaints about the impact of aircraft noise were investigated.