How we investigate and take action
Residents have the right to enjoy life in their own way and in their own home, providing they act within the law and do not interfere with the rights of others.
To be classed as a nuisance, a loud noise or noise nuisance must be persistent, regular and likely to interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of your home.
We will investigate all complaints about excessive noise but we can only take action if the noise is considered to be a statutory nuisance.
A statutory noise nuisance is a nuisance at any time of day or night under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
A council officer must witness a statutory noise nuisance or a breach of notice in order to take further enforcement action. This requires officers to enter residents' homes to witness the impact.
What loud noises can we investigate?
We can investigate:
- animal noise
- building alarm noise
- car alarm noise
- car repair noise
- DIY noise
- music noise
- vehicle alarm noise.
Noise we cannot investigate
We cannot investigate domestic noises, such as:
- voices
- washing machines
- kitchen equipment
- doors closing
- toilets flushing.
These are not enforceable against by law. We have no power to make people change their behaviour in these respects.
Where student houses are causing the problem due to late hours being kept, we can offer advice and will liaise with the university to assist student households integrate with the local community.