Noisy neighbours urged to turn the volume down

Overly loud audio equipment accounts for 32 per cent of all complaints

Shouting, loud music and barking dogs are sending Rochdale residents round the twist.
Rochdale Borough Council’s public protection team received 1030 complaints last year (2010/2011) from residents complaining about their noisy neighbours.

During Noise Awareness Week (23-27 May 2011), the council’s public protection officers are calling upon local people to turn the volume down.

Information will be available for residents informing them of their rights to live in peace and how the council can help them as well as offering practical advice on how to live a little quieter.

Public protection officers will be hosting a stand throughout the borough during the week; 

• Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 May at Wheatsheaf Library, Rochdale; and
• Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 May at Middleton Information Centre, Sadler Street.

According to research around half the population say that noise affects their quality of life.

Locally, public protection officers are called out to assess noise levels from three main categories; anti-social behaviour such as slamming doors, shouting and swearing accounting for 32 per cent of all complaints; overly loud audio equipment such as TVs, stereos, games consoles and karaoke systems accounting for almost another third (32 per cent); and animal disturbances notably barking dogs took up 30 per cent of all complaints.

And public protection officers have noticed a key trend that suggests the summer months are historically the noisiest – with complaints peaking during June, July and August.

Andy Glover, Public Protection Manager at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “With the summer months approaching it is the ideal time during national Noise Awareness Week to appeal to our community to recognise that noise nuisance can really impede on an individual’s quality of life. But this annoying problem can be easily resolved if we all paid a little more consideration to our neighbours. For example; talk a little quieter, turn the music down and don’t leave your pets unattended for long periods.

“We spend a lot of time trying to resolve noisy neighbour disputes amicably and I’m pleased in the majority of cases this is achieved.

“However, we have in the past been forced to seize equipment or prosecute individuals for being too noisy. We take noise nuisance very seriously, working alongside the police and many of our local housing officers in an effort to resolve matters for the benefit of all concerned.”

The Noise Act 1996 or the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 80 gives council’s the power to seize equipment or prosecute individuals for noise nuisance offences.

Although 82 per cent of all noise complaints are about domestic properties the commercial properties or industrial sites are also causes of complaints. Loud music from pubs and clubs is the single most concern for residents caused by commercial properties but, vibrations, noisy machinery and construction also seem to other major annoyances for local people