For decades they have been deafened by the roar of low-flying aircraft whizzing in and out of neighbouring Heathrow. But yesterday, for the first time in 25 years, residents of Hatton, a suburb in south-west London, woke up to the glorious sound of silence.

"It's a historic moment," grinned data manager Peter Smith, 42, as he relaxed in the beer garden of his local pub, the Green King. "This is the first time I've been able to sit here and have a quiet drink outside in the afternoon." His colleague John Marshall, 48, agreed: "Normally it's not a very pleasant place to be. The beer usually shakes. But today it's actually quite relaxing."

On average, 1,300 planes fly in and out of Heathrow's five terminals every day – a flight every one or two minutes. At the Green King, which is directly under several flight paths, this made for stilted banter. Vanessa Bradley, 37, a financial adviser sitting at a neighbouring table, explained: "You'd have to pause your conversation for about 10 seconds every minute or two. Or you had to learn to lipread really, really well. Now we can actually hear what everyone's saying."

Bradley herself was celebrating with brio. "I love it!" she exclaimed, as she punched the air with both fists. "It's just so peaceful. When I got home from work yesterday, I could just sit in my garden and enjoy a bit of quiet for once."

Meanwhile, up the road at St George's church in Hanworth, a clergyman was also smiling. "It's a temporary relief because whenever we have low-flying planes," said Father Paul Williamson, 61, "I get really worried about our medieval stained glass windows getting damaged by the sonic waves. The reverberations are usually a serious problem." The flight situation has also had unexpected spiritual benefits. "Though you should always be able to pray at any time," Father Williamson said, "prayer is always better without all the noise."

Even the footballers at the local club, Bedfont FC, are pleased. Grant Mullins, 27, the club's steward, noted: "When a plane's flying over the pitch, you usually can't hear much. But the players will have heard the ref's whistle a lot better in the match last night." Indeed, Bedfont went on to thrash league rivals Horley Town 4-1.

Back at the Green King, however, not everyone was happy. Clare Applegarth, 38, a colleague of Bradley's, was shaking her head at the day's events. "To be honest, I miss the planes. It was always quite exciting when they came over. And when you're working, you get so used to them that they don't cause a problem."

Lewis Smith, 25, was similarly unimpressed. "My aunt was supposed to be flying out yesterday," he explained, frowning. "She had one flight cancelled then, and another cancelled today. It's an absolute nightmare."

But Farzana Rafique, 43, a childminder, summed up the overall mood of the town as she returned home from Hatton Cross tube. "It's just been a relief. Everyone usually gets a bit irritated by the noise, but I've noticed that people have been a bit calmer today. It's made a difference to me, at least."