News
19-07-06, 02:41 PM
Complaints about noisy neighbours in Norwich have risen by more than 10 percent during the last two years, new figures have revealed.
Environmental health officers at Norwich City Council are having to deal with more than 900 complaints about noise per year - which equates to almost three a day.
The news comes as a national campaign is launched to try to make people more aware of the misery their noise can cause and offer people advice on how to resolve issues with loud neighbours.
As part of its Noise Concern campaign, environmental group EnCams revealed that a third of people in England admitted they were noisy neighbours.
The most common complaints surround loud music.
Broadland District Council received 503 noise related complaints in 2005/06, issued three noise abatement orders and carried out one prosecution.
Meanwhile, 43 percent of people who suffer from noise say that their ordeal had lasted for over a year.
Since April 2003, the city council have dealt with 2,773 complaints about noise levels. This has led to 120 noise abatement orders being issued, which warn people to stop or they could face court action, and 10 successful prosecutions.
However, the number of complaints received rose from 873 in 2003/4 to 966 in 2005/06, while noise abatements fell from 39 to 33 and there were three prosecutions for both periods.
The authority says it takes the issue seriously, however the Evening News revealed last year how families were having to wait for up to a month for the sound levels of their noisy neighbours to be monitored because it had just two devices to record the rackets.
Meanwhile, Arthur Custance, 64, of Sprowston Road, Norwich, has suffered twice at the hands of noisy neighbours.
In January, the Evening News told how he and his wife Patricia, 61, had successfully managed to persuade a landlord to evict neighbours whose late night partying was hampering his efforts to recover from bowel cancer.
He is now experiencing problems with the new tenants but says the council takes too long to react.
He said: "The problem is that they have too many procedures and red tape to follow so they don't move quickly enough.
"Sometimes I think they think I am the nuisance but we have had numerous problems with the new tenants through loud music, slamming doors in the early hours and even smashing glass." A council spokesman said: "We take issues of noise nuisance very seriously and will take action against any who are found causing a statutory nuisance as we appreciate that people have the right to enjoy peace and quiet in their own homes."
EnCams says there are seven steps someone should take to try and resolve a noisy neighbour issue and this includes having a "quiet word about the problem", contacting your local authority and employing mediation services such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Alan Woods, chief executive of Encams, said: "Living with noisy neighbours is a nightmare. Our new research shows how millions of people are suffering every day - feeling frustrated, angry and deprived of sleep."
More information on how to be a good neighbour and what to do if your wish to make a complaint about noise is available on the council's website www.norwich.gov.uk or the campaign's website www.noiseconcern.org.
Anyone who is experiencing problems with noise should contact the city council on 01603 212212 or e-mail ResidentsServiceTeam@norwich.gov.uk
News Source
http://www.neighbourfromhell.co.uk/noisy_n...our_complaints/ (http://www.neighbourfromhell.co.uk/noisy_neighbours/increase_in_noisy_neighbour_complaints/)
Environmental health officers at Norwich City Council are having to deal with more than 900 complaints about noise per year - which equates to almost three a day.
The news comes as a national campaign is launched to try to make people more aware of the misery their noise can cause and offer people advice on how to resolve issues with loud neighbours.
As part of its Noise Concern campaign, environmental group EnCams revealed that a third of people in England admitted they were noisy neighbours.
The most common complaints surround loud music.
Broadland District Council received 503 noise related complaints in 2005/06, issued three noise abatement orders and carried out one prosecution.
Meanwhile, 43 percent of people who suffer from noise say that their ordeal had lasted for over a year.
Since April 2003, the city council have dealt with 2,773 complaints about noise levels. This has led to 120 noise abatement orders being issued, which warn people to stop or they could face court action, and 10 successful prosecutions.
However, the number of complaints received rose from 873 in 2003/4 to 966 in 2005/06, while noise abatements fell from 39 to 33 and there were three prosecutions for both periods.
The authority says it takes the issue seriously, however the Evening News revealed last year how families were having to wait for up to a month for the sound levels of their noisy neighbours to be monitored because it had just two devices to record the rackets.
Meanwhile, Arthur Custance, 64, of Sprowston Road, Norwich, has suffered twice at the hands of noisy neighbours.
In January, the Evening News told how he and his wife Patricia, 61, had successfully managed to persuade a landlord to evict neighbours whose late night partying was hampering his efforts to recover from bowel cancer.
He is now experiencing problems with the new tenants but says the council takes too long to react.
He said: "The problem is that they have too many procedures and red tape to follow so they don't move quickly enough.
"Sometimes I think they think I am the nuisance but we have had numerous problems with the new tenants through loud music, slamming doors in the early hours and even smashing glass." A council spokesman said: "We take issues of noise nuisance very seriously and will take action against any who are found causing a statutory nuisance as we appreciate that people have the right to enjoy peace and quiet in their own homes."
EnCams says there are seven steps someone should take to try and resolve a noisy neighbour issue and this includes having a "quiet word about the problem", contacting your local authority and employing mediation services such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Alan Woods, chief executive of Encams, said: "Living with noisy neighbours is a nightmare. Our new research shows how millions of people are suffering every day - feeling frustrated, angry and deprived of sleep."
More information on how to be a good neighbour and what to do if your wish to make a complaint about noise is available on the council's website www.norwich.gov.uk or the campaign's website www.noiseconcern.org.
Anyone who is experiencing problems with noise should contact the city council on 01603 212212 or e-mail ResidentsServiceTeam@norwich.gov.uk
News Source
http://www.neighbourfromhell.co.uk/noisy_n...our_complaints/ (http://www.neighbourfromhell.co.uk/noisy_neighbours/increase_in_noisy_neighbour_complaints/)