Noise Problems

• Are you being driven mad by persistent loud music from a neighbour?
• Is someone carrying out noisy DIY work late at night or early in the morning?
• Is there a noisy pub or shop nearby?
• Are barking dogs causing sleepless nights?
• Is the noise unreasonable and excessive?

Domestic Noise

The Environmental Protection Team deals primarily with private properties.  If the subject of complaint is a Housing Association tenant the complaint will be initially dealt with by the Housing Association.

On receipt of a complaint we will send you a noise problem diary sheet for completion and return.  We are unlikely to be able to take action if the noise is caused due to poor sound insulation, as under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 we need to prove that it is by your neighbour's unreasonable actions.   If it appears that we will be able to help, we will let the person concerned know that a complaint has been made and inform her/him about the council's powers for dealing with noise nuisance.  In many cases this will solve the problem.  If further action is required an officer may ask to come and witness the nuisance and if s/he is satisfied that a "statutory nuisance" exists we can issue a notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to try to stop the noise from continuing.  If the notice is not complied with and the noise continues we must witness the nuisance again so that we can take legal action.

Commercial Noise

Commercial noise can be dealt with in the same way as for domestic.

Construction Site Noise

The Control of Pollution Act 1974 allows the Local Authority to specify hours of noisy work on sites where demolition and/or construction are taking place.  The hours are usually between 0800 and 1800 Monday to Friday and 0800 to 1300 on Saturdays and at no time on a Sunday or Bank Holiday.  We are not able to stop workers physically being on site providing that they are not causing a noise disturbance.  Additionally the Planning Unit may put a condition on the planning permission.  If this condition is breached then the matter needs to be addressed through planning legislation and not the Control of Pollution Act.

Noisy Dogs

Barking is a normal dog behaviour which can become a nuisance.  Excessive barking, whining or howling, which seriously affects people's rights to enjoy reasonable peace and quiet, can be dealt with in the same way as domestic noise.

If you have spoken to the dog owner and they have failed to control their dog(s) please contact the Dog Warden Service for advice and action.  See contact details.

Burglar Alarms

The Council will investigate complaints if a noise nuisance is confirmed, and no key-holder can be found, council officers may enter the premises and turn the alarm off.  If that happens, the building owner or occupier pays the costs of the officer's time and any contractors used.

To prevent this we require alarm owners to:

• Register 2 key holders to the Council
• Ensure that your alarm is properly installed with a 20 minute cut-out device
• Paragraph 5 of the Code of Practice states that the alarm-holder should, within 48 hours of installing a new alarm system or of taking over an existing one, notify the local police of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least two key holders.  The code also states that the alarm holder should, at the same time, notify the local environmental health department that the alarm has been newly installed or that they have taken over responsibility for an existing alarm system, and that they should tell the Local Authority the address of the police station to whcih notification of key-holders has been made.

Planning and Noise

The Environmental Protection Officers work closely with the planning department when new planning applications are submitted and are consulted on noise, odour, licensing, housing and health and safety issues and it is hoped that this will reduce or prevent noise before it occurs.