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Noise nuisance

Details about types of noise nuisance, how it can impact people's lives and how we tackle it.

We understand the disruption and stress that excessive noise can cause in people's lives.

Each case will be dealt with on an individual basis. 

We will:

  • Assess the impact of the noise on people's overall well-being.
  • Take all reasonable steps to resolve these issues.

What we can do

Neighbours

We understand how annoying noise can be! 

For many people, excessive noise can be a source of annoyance and stress. It can interfere with everyday life, cause sleep disturbance and can also affect your health.

What you can do

If you feel able to, politely speak to the person responsible for the noise. Let them know it is causing you a problem. They may not be aware of the impact it is having on you.

If you prefer, you may want to send them a letter or post a note. To help you do this, we have a sample letter below:

Diary

Keep a diary for at least two weeks once we have contacted your neighbour. For more about this, please see: Noise diary.

What we will do

  • When we get your noise diary we will assess it. If we believe it is a justified complaint, we will serve a Community Protection Warning (CPW). This is under the provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The CPW is to: 
    • Outline the details of the complaint.
    • Ask them to moderate the noise.
    • Tell them what further action we may take.
  • If the noise persists, we will attempt to monitor the noise. We will see if it breaches the CPW. We will also check if it is a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We may require to visit your home to monitor the noise.
  • If we witness the noise, we will decide if it breaches the CPW. If it does, a Community Protection Notice (CPN) will be served. We will assess if the noise amounts to a statutory nuisance under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If it does, we will serve a noise abatement notice on the person responsible.
  • If a person fails to comply with a CPN or the Notice this may result in:
    • Being issued a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). 
    • Seize and confiscate audio equipment.
    • Prosecute offenders at magistrates' court.
  • This can take up to three months. We will do the initial investigation within seven days of getting your noise diary.

Please note: We can only take enforcement action if the noise is:

  • Persistent;
  • Unreasonable;
  • And, at levels that meets legal standards.

Businesses

For commercial, business and industrial noise, we will investigate and contact you if we need to.

Making a complaint about noise

If you have tried to talk to those who make the noise and it still carries on, report it.

Report a noise concern

We will send you a letter to confirm we have received your complaint.

Noise diary

After you report a noise concern, you must fill in a noise diary to record your concerns.

A diary will be sent to you along with your acknowledgement letter. You can also download one:

Your diary will be used to assess if your complaint is valid. It may also be used as evidence in any legal proceedings.

Diary entries

  • They must be true, accurate and represent the situation.
  • They should be made at the time of the incident.
  • Make sure start and finish times are accurate.
  • Keep a diary of the noise for two to three weeks.

Submit a noise diary

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