Noise nuisance

• Noisy neighbours (music, house alarms, DIY at unreasonable hours, barking dogs)
• Noise from commercial premises (entertainment, noisy revellers ,ventilation systems, alarms,)
• Noise from industrial premises (factories, construction, demolition, alarms)
• Car alarms

Before you make a complaint

Before you make a formal complaint, we advise you to talk to the person responsible for the noise. They may not be aware that there is a problem and you may be able to solve the issue without the need for us to intervene. The Problem Neighbours website has some useful advice on how to do this.

How do I report a noise complaint?

You can report a noise complaint by:

• Email: info@herefordshire.gov.uk
• Telephone: 01432 261761

Can I make an anonymous complaint?

Yes, but be aware that in many situations our action will be limited. Writing to the alleged offender might, if appropriate, be the only action that can be taken. We will not usually be able to take any enforcement action because the law requires us to assess the impact of noise on the complainant.

What happens after I make a complaint?

We aim to respond to at least 90% of complainants within five working days by letter, telephone or by visiting your property.

Where possible we will then send a letter to the person making the alleged noise to let them know that they are causing a complaint. Often this informal approach is enough to resolve the problem, as many people are unaware of the nuisance.

We may send you a log sheet to record the dates, times and details of the noise. It is very important that you fill out the log sheets accurately as it will show us the extent of the problem. The log sheets are particularly important if we decide to take formal or legal action to resolve the noise problem.

On the return of your log sheets, we will then assess whether it is a nuisance according to the following factors:

• How often the noise occurs
• How long the noise lasts
• The time of day or night the noise occurs
• How the noise disturbs you
• Where the noise is coming from

A statutory nuisance is defined as being prejudicial to health (causing injury or likely to cause injury) or a nuisance (interfering unreasonably with someone's personal comfort or enjoyment).

If it is felt a statutory nuisance exists, we will contact you to discuss options for further action. This could include the serving of an abatement notice. If the notice is ignored then this could lead to proceedings in the magistrates court and if the perpetrator is found guilty, a fine of up to £5000 for a domestic situation and up to £20,000 for a commercial situation. We can also apply for a warrant of the peace and seize offending equipment.

It is also important that we witness the noise. Throughout the investigation if the noise occurs during office hours, please call us on 01432 261761. However, please be aware that due to other commitments we may not always be available to witness the noise.

Weekend noise monitoring trial

For an eight-week trial period from 29 July to 17 September 2011, we operated a night-time noise response team from 9pm-2am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Following a review of this trial, we intend to provide a similar service every summer. We will update this page with further information about the service nearer the time.