IT'S silver, four metres high and it has provoked a row between neighbours. This gleaming metal flue pipe has outraged Newport school teacher Peter Phillips (pictured).

Pill Primary School teacher Mr Phillips, 27, says he returned to his first-floor flat in Bolton Road, Stow Hill, to find the flue pipe which is approximately three-quarters of a metre in diameter, going straight past his bedroom skylight.

But the people who put it up to serve a new Bengali restaurant called The Bay Tree say the pipe is aimed at cutting nuisance to neighbours - by cutting down smells from their premises.

Mr Phillips, who says he had not been told the pipe was to be put up, said: "There was a lot of noise next door while they were fitting the place and I could see the builders walking about through my floorboards.

"They've never apologised and now there's this massive thing next to my house. "It seems to me that there was no effort made to speak to the residents. This pipe is actually attached not just to their building but to mine as well.

"When I first saw it I was so annoyed I was going to tie a rope to it, tie the other end to my car and just pull it down. There's already three takeaway places here anyway. It's absolutely ludicrous."

Restaurant owner Muhib Ahmed, 24, whose premises opened last Tuesday, said: "The flue cost us an extra £4,000 and has state of the art carbon filtration. We didn't have to put that on - it was done as a courtesy to our neighbours.

"This filter takes out the smell and has a silencer fitted to stop any noise. We have also worked on professionally soundproofing the ceiling of the property. "We're in negotiation with the person who is upset about this and we hope to resolve the problem very amicably.

"I'm a Newport man through and through, I've represented the town in football and the sum total of my life savings has been spent on opening this business. I really feel hard done by that people are complaining when we have gone out of our way for them." The flue was part of the planning consent.