On reading the latest column in your long-running series (Lawnmower hum: why the sound of the summer could cost you £5,000, 27 May), I noticed that the writer didn’t include the curse of the leaf blower in their list of antisocial garden tools.
The noise is dreadful and can be life-altering. We bought one which turned out to be so loud that it has caused permanent hearing loss and hyperacusis (sensitivity to loud noise) in my left ear.
There were no warning stickers about using ear defenders on the leaf blower, so seven months on I am now learning to live with hearing aids, and cowering in my seat on the underground with my hands clamped over my ears.
Miranda Fagandini
New Malden, London
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
