Speakers seized from noisy neighbours

Commercial speakers have been seized from a home in Rochdale after months of non-stop partying kept neighbours awake. 

Rochdale Borough Council’s environmental health team began receiving complaints in July 2018 when neighbours complained that the tenants of the semi-detached house often partied from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

As a result, the council issued two written warnings and served the tenants with a noise abatement notice. The notice is a legal order telling tenants to control the amount of noise coming from their property.

When the problem continued, the affected neighbours were given noise recording equipment and an environmental health officer from the council visited one evening to witness the problem.

Under the Noise Act 1996, the council has the power to take away any noise making equipment including stereos, computers, televisions and games consoles.

The noise abatement notice was ignored so the council applied to the magistrates’ court for a warrant to carry out a seizure.

Without warning, the environmental health team went to the property with the police and a locksmith to take any noise making equipment. As no one was home the locksmith gained access to the property and the 3-feet tall speakers were seized.

Councillor Sara Rowbotham, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at the council, said: “No one should be subjected to antisocial behaviour in their own home and ongoing problems like this can be very distressing.

“It’s great that we’re able to exercise powers to support residents and I’d like to thank the environmental health team for all their work in taking action in this case.”

The seized items will be kept for 28 days during which time the tenants can pay to claim the items back at the end of 28-day period. The tenants must pay all costs involved in seizing the items to get them back which can often amount to hundreds of pounds. If the items are not claimed within 28 days, they are kept for 6 months, before being disposed of.

If the tenants continue to make noise after the seizure, any new equipment can be seized and the tenants can be prosecuted for new breaches. When successfully prosecuted, tenants receive a criminal record, a maximum fine of £5,000 and seized equipment can be destroyed.

For information on types of noise nuisance and how to report it, visit:

www.rochdale.gov.uk/noise