Noise Pollution
There is a variety of
work undertaken by Environmental Health, which deals with the issue
of noise and its control.
Complaints about Noise
Did you know that you
can’t make as much noise as you like between 07:00 and 23:00 or
that officers from the Local Authority can enter your property,
remove any equipment that they think was or could be the cause of
noise nuisance?
The Environmental Health
Division receive hundreds of noise complaints each year, all of
which are dealt with under the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
Statutory Nuisance provisions.
Due to the nature of the
legislation it is necessary for all complaints to be subject to a
standardised investigation procedure that requires evidence
gathering by both the complainant and officers from Environmental
Health.
Upon investigation it may be the
officers professional opinion that the matter complained off is not
severe enough to be classified a Statutory Nuisance, in which case
all parties will be informed and the case closed.
In cases where a problem
cannot be rectified informally, then formal action can be taken;
this work is carried out in accordance with the
Council's Enforcement Policy.Formal Action may result in the
service of an Abatement Notice, seizure of noise making equipment
or prosecution and fines. In addition to this plans are in
place to allow the service of fixed penalty notices for noise and
also to issue Anti Social Behaviour Orders in conjunction with
successful prosecutions.
For details of our noise
complaint procedure or to review our advice on the most frequent
complaint scenarios please visit our Noise Control- Making a
Complaint page using the link below.
Domestic Noise
The majority of the noise
complaints received by Environmental Health related to noise from
domestic premises. Domestic noise complaints cover a wide
range of issues but the most common are dog barking and amplified
music complaints.
The Environmental Health
Division has a wide variety of options available in dealing with
domestic noise complaints but mainly tries to solve problems
informally. Where this fails however and a statutory nuisance
continues then formal actions will be taken in accordance with our
Enforcement Policy.
For general information
on how we can deal with domestic noise complaints visit our Noise
Control- Domestic Noise page using the link below.
Industrial/ Commercial Noise
Many of the noise
complaints received by Environmental Health are related to noise
from commercial and industrial premises. Complaints related
to noise from an industry process, entertainment noise and also
burglar alarms at commercial and industrial premises.
For general information
on how we can deal with industrial noise complaints visit our Noise
Control- Industrial Noise page using the link below.
For details of our noise complaint procedure
visit our Making a Complaint Page.
Burglar Alarms
Every year, the
Environmental Health Division receive numerous complaints in
relation to noise from Burglar Alarms. In some cases the
alarm can be dealt with informally by letter. However, there
are instances where alarms sound continuously or frequently for
long periods of time causing disturbance to neighbouring
properties.
In these circumstances
the Environmental Health Division can take more direct action and
silence the alarm by whatever means necessary although usually with
a high cost to the owner of the alarm.
For more information on
how we can deal with burglar alarms and details for our
registration scheme, visit our Noise Control- Burglar Alarms
Page.
Construction and Development
The Environmental Health
Division play a proactive role in preventing noise pollution
problems through the Building and Development Control
functions. For more information on the scope of this work
please visit our Noise Control- Construction and Development
Page.
Fireworks
It sometimes seems like
bonfire night lasts for half of the year what with fireworks for
5th November, Weddings, Birthdays, New Years Eve and the
various cultural festivals that take place throughout the year.
To view a copy of our
general information leaflet on the safe and enjoyable use of
fireworks visit our Fireworks page using the link below.
Education and Information
The Environmental Health
Division regularly becomes involved in awareness raising exercises
in relation to noise issues.
If you are interested in
more detail on any of the campaigns that we run or would like more
general information please contact the Pollution Control Team.
For a list of general
information leaflets on noise, held by Environmental Health then
visit our Noise Control- Education and Information Page.
