County’s first night-time noise team launched

Herefordshire Council’s environmental health and trading standards service has got the go ahead to trial a night-time Noise Response Team to operate throughout the county during the summer.

The team will comprise of two environmental health officers working as a pair after 9pm on both Friday and Saturday nights and will be financed by savings already made elsewhere within this service.

Councillor Patricia Morgan, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “I am really excited to see what impact this team will have on the lives of so many people who have to suffer sleep depriving noise at night time and getting totally stressed from it all.

“For the first time ever, Herefordshire Council will not only be able to respond to these pleas for help from the public when the night-time noise is actually happening, but will then be able to send officers to the scene to witness the noise and take the necessary steps to resolve the situation.

“Although the environmental health officers will make every effort to remedy the situation informally, I would like to make the point that they will also be empowered to serve noise abatement notices on the night as and when necessary.

“In this way we hope that the team will not only offer a cost effective and improved service focused at what our public actually want and need, but that it will also help improve their health and wellbeing too,” she added.

After the eight-week trial period, the service will be reviewed to see whether the council can continue to run a similar service next year.

In the meantime, the Noise Response Team can be contacted on 01432 261761 after 9pm on both Friday and Saturday nights starting Friday 29th July until the end of September.