Noise pollution

Excessive noise can be very distressing and affect people's quality of life. Our officers respond to and investigate complaints of noise nuisance arising from domestic and commercial premises under the Environmental Protection Act 1990

Can we help?

We can investigate the following types of noise nuisance:

• Loud music and TV
• Raised voices
• Noise from pubs and clubs
• Noise from demolition or construction works
• Audible intruder alarms and car alarms
• DIY at unreasonable hours
• Loudspeakers, noise from machinery and vehicles in the street
• Noise from commercial or industrial premises
• Animals i.e. barking dogs, cockerels

We cannot take action against normal traffic and aircraft noise, children playing, noise from anti social behaviour in the street and noise from normal domestic activities.

How to make a complaint

To make a complaint about noise please contact us:

• Daytime: 9am - 6pm 0500 834333
• Evening: 6pm - 9am 024 7683 2222
• Weekend: 9am - 9am - 024 7683 2222

We will require your name, address, telephone number and the address of the premise that you are complaining about (if known). Your details are kept confidential. Please note we are unable to accept anonymous complaints.

What we will do

We will try to resolve your complaint informally by contacting the person making the noise and giving them advice. You should also begin keeping a diary sheet which can be downloaded on this page.

If the problem persists our officers will need to visit your property to hear the noise for themselves therefore it is important that you contact our monitoring service whilst the noise is occurring. The officer will consider a number of factors in assessing the noise including the time of day; the nature of the area; the volume, duration and frequency of the noise and the reasonableness of the activity that is causing the noise.

Formal action is only possible where our officers witness noise that they consider to be a statutory nuisance. Just because a noise is audible and annoying does not mean that it is a statutory nuisance. To be a statutory nuisance the noise must be causing serious disruption to your everyday activities such as watching television or sleeping. We must also prove that the noise is a regular occurrence, for this reason one off events are unlikely to be a statutory nuisance.

Upon witnessing a statutory noise nuisance it is our normal policy to first issue the perpetrator with a warning letter. If the noise persists and our officers witness a statutory nuisance again, generally within 4 weeks of the first nuisance, then we will serve the offender with a noise abatement notice which legally requires the offender to stop causing a nuisance. If the notice is not complied with and we witness further nuisance on more than one occasion we will seek to prosecute the offender, for which you may be required to give evidence in Court.

Investigating noise nuisance can be a long and frustrating process taking several months but we will endeavour to resolve your complaint and advise you of the next step and what you need to do.

Where a noise is not sufficient to be a statutory nuisance you will be advised of the decision and that no further action is possible and we will advise of alternative steps you can take.

For further information please see our Noise Advice factsheet.