Noise pollution

Car alarms

If we receive a complaint of a misfiring car alarm we will make reasonable attempts to find the person responsible for the vehicle, including making enquiries of the police. We may need you to give us a signed witness statement with all the details, so we can ask the DVLA for the vehicle owner's information.

The statement should include:

• vehicle registration number
• description of the vehicle
• where it was seen
• date and time
• what noise it is creating and how you are affected by the noise

Once we get the signed statement, we apply to the DVLA for the car owner details. We cannot trace a vehicle without a witness statement in this way.

The statement might be used in court.

While enquiries are being made, a notice will be fixed to the vehicle and, if the responsible person cannot be found within one hour, we may authorise work to stop the nuisance. This will mean either entry to the vehicle to silence the alarm, or the removal of the vehicle to a secure location.

If we take the above action then the keeper of the vehicle will be responsible for all expenses reasonably incurred in carrying out the work. This can be several hundred pounds.

A person who removes or interferes with a notice fixed to the vehicle is guilty of an offence unless permission has been given by the keeper of the vehicle.

Intruder alarms

Audible intruder alarms are widely used to protect property from unauthorised entry. Burglar alarms that are sounding should be reported to the police so that evidence of criminal activity can be investigated.

Noise from faulty burglar alarms can cause severe noise disturbance, especially if they go off at night.

Alarm systems should stop sounding after 20 minutes. However when alarms do not turn off or sound on and off repeatedly, where there is no evidence of a break in, it is likely that we will receive complaints.

There are some simple steps you should take if you have an audible intruder alarm installed:

• make sure your alarm is properly serviced to reduce the possibility of any faults
• check with the installer that a 20-minute cut out has been fitted - this is an important measure that stops the alarm sounding after 20 minutes and can reduce serious disturbance to your neighbours
• if you can ask your neighbours to hold a key or your contact phone number so someone can be contacted quickly if complaints are received.

If we are satisfied that an alarm is causing a noise nuisance and we are unable to contact a keyholder within a reasonable period of time to silence the alarm, then formal action will be taken to stop the nuisance.

An abatement notice requiring the alarm to be silenced will be served on the occupier and an electrical engineer will also be called to silence the alarm box.

The occupier will be responsible for paying all costs reasonably incurred in stopping the nuisance. This can be several hundred pounds.

Barking dogs

Barking is a normal way for dogs to communicate. We would not use our legal powers unless dogs bark a lot for long periods, as this can be annoying and upsetting for neighbours.

Dogs may bark too much because of:

• attention-seeking
• fear or anxiety
• boredom, lack of enrichment and exercise
• territorial, protective, or alert barking
• lack of rest, especially in busy households

For more help with barking and other aspects of dog care, see:

• #DogKind: Understanding Your Dog | RSPCA - RSPCA - rspca.org.uk

In more extreme cases, an animal behaviourist who is an expert may also be able to suggest ways to improve your dog's behaviour.

Crowing cockerels

If you own a cockerel, make sure its crowing does not cause a legal nuisance. We consider several factors to decide if it is a nuisance:

Nature of the area

Cockerels are part of country life, so an occasional crow in a rural area is less likely to be a nuisance compared to cockerels in towns or villages.

Time of day

Crowing at night, early morning, or late evening is more likely to be considered a nuisance.

Duration

Long periods of crowing, especially with multiple cockerels competing, are more likely to be a nuisance.

Cockerels are not required for hens to lay eggs. Find out how to minimise cockerel noise.

The use of bird scarers is legal and essential for farmers to help protect certain crops, such as oilseed rape and fruit and field vegetables. However, farmers and landowners using bird scarers must make sure they are not causing a nuisance to others by using it in line with the Code of Practice produced by the National Farmers Union (NFU).

This includes:

• only use them where justified
• they should not sound more than four times per hour
• they should not be used before sunrise or after sunset (this does not mean that scarers used after sunrise in the summer are automatically acceptable)
• they should be positioned carefully to make sure that they are not pointing towards, or too close to, nearby homes
• they should be properly maintained and checked regularly to detect any faults that could cause complaints
• use reflective or absorbent baffles (corrugated iron or straw bales) to concentrate the sound onto a field and away from neighbours wherever nuisance could be caused
• position scarers so that they are pointing downwind (where the nuisance is not a problem) - even a slight wind can affect the distance sound travels - and take particular care with devices that swivel with the wind

We cannot take action if the Code of Practice is being followed.

A certain amount of noise is expected in most types of construction work which can rarely be completely prevented.

However, noise from construction sites can be very disturbing. If necessary we can serve a notice imposing requirements as to how construction works should be carried out so as to minimise noise and disturbance. Failure to comply with the requirements of a notice can lead to a fine of up to £20,000.

The acceptable hours for noisy work within the area are:

• Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm
• Saturday, 8:00am to 13:00pm
• Sunday, No noisy work
• Public and Bank Holidays, no noisy work

Operations outside of these hours may, however, be agreed by us if it can be demonstrated that the works cannot be carried out at any other time and that items of plant and equipment are operated and maintained so that their use causes the minimum amount of noise. 

Developers must also demonstrate that they are keeping noise to a minimum based on the activity taking place and the equipment being used.

Sometimes, emergency works have to be undertaken, for example, a burst water main. In such circumstances the normal daytime hours of operation would not apply. The work would be undertaken as soon as possible, which if undertaken at night may cause some disturbance.

Also, works on main roads would normally be undertaken outside peak times in order to minimise traffic congestion. Therefore evening and night-time working may be permitted. Noise would however be kept to as low a level as reasonably practicable.

Section 61 consent for construction work

Contractors planning to undertake construction and demolition work can consult us before proceeding.

It is preferable that contractors apply for prior consent rather than face the prospect of a notice being served after they have commenced work, the effect of which may seriously interfere with their planned work programme.

DIY noise

A distinction needs to be made between noise from construction sites and noise from DIY activities in the home. The working hours imposed on building sites would not normally be applicable to home DIY jobs. This is because people can often only undertake DIY work in the evenings and at weekends. However, this does not give people permission to annoy neighbours at all hours of the day and night. We all have to be reasonable to live together.

Keeping noisy activities caused by DIY to reasonable hours will help minimise complaints. Sensible precautions can be taken to minimise complaints from neighbours.

Property damage

The council can only help with noise problems, not property damage. If you are worried about property damage, like vibrations causing cracks, talk to the company first. You can also get advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau about making a private claim and getting compensation. 

Stopping noisy construction work

The Council can only ask the company or your neighbour to work during reasonable daytime hours. You may wish to speak to them to see if they can help you. They may be able to tell you when the work will be finished or take steps to reduce any nuisance.

We will need to identify the specific source of a noise and the options for reducing or eliminating it. We will work with businesses to try and find solutions informally in most cases but will use our legal powers to back up our requirements where appropriate.

The sources of noise giving rise to complaints from local residents vary considerably, but can include music, singing, public address system, large screen televisions or video displays, plant and machinery, deliveries, car parks and pub gardens.

The majority of complaints however, come as a result of music being audible in nearby or adjoining noise sensitive premises.

All these premises should have noise control procedures in place to reduce noise from their premises. These may be set out as conditions on the premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003. For more information about this see Premises licence or club premises certificate.

Noise control procedures may include:

• keeping doors and windows closed when music is playing indoors
• locating the band/speakers away from any doors/windows and as far away as possible from any neighbouring residents
• keeping the volume of music at a reasonable level that will not disturb residents
• considering how noise from the use of smoking shelters/gardens and from customers entering and leaving may affect neighbouring residents and taking measures to control this
• avoiding deliveries or emptying of bins in the early morning or late evening
• considering installing a Noise Limiting Device. Depending upon the type of device installed, a maximum noise level can be set where the noise cannot be increased or when power is temporarily cut to the amplifiers if the noise gets too loud

In extreme circumstances we may call for the premises licence to be reviewed.

This could result in

• opening hours being reduced
• entertainment being removed from the licence or
• conditions being imposed to control the breakout of music

Environmental Health are a Responsible Authority who are consulted with on new premises licence applications, licence variation applications and temporary event notice applications. Many of these applications do not cause concern; however when the applicant applies for music, particularly at night and for live music (where there is little volume control) we must weigh up the risk to local residents. If we decide to object to the application, then a hearing is held in front of the Licensing Sub-Committee for their decision.

It is illegal to use loudspeakers in the street for any purpose between 9 PM and 8 AM. This includes advertising a business, trade, or entertainment.

There are some exceptions, such as: 

• emergencies
• on vehicles
• local authority consent

Loudspeakers can be used in emergencies or as a public address system by the police, fire brigade, ambulance service, councils, the Environment Agency, water or sewage companies, and public transport operators. 

Loudspeakers can be used in or fixed to a vehicle if they're used in a way unlikely to cause annoyance, and this includes ice cream vans provided that they follow the code of practice Code of practice on noise from ice-cream van chimes - GOV.UK. 

A local authority can grant consent to operate a loudspeaker in accordance with Schedule 2 to the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993.

Ice cream vans are permitted to use chimes to advertise their trade provided that they do not give reasonable cause for annoyance to persons in the vicinity. There is a code of practice which provides guidance on minimising the noise from ice cream van chimes.

The main points of this are:

• it is an offence for ice cream vans to sound their chimes before 12noon or after 7pm
• they should not sound their chimes for more than 12 seconds at a time
• they should not sound their chimes more often than once every 2 minutes
• they should not sound their chimes when within 50 metres of a school (during school hours), hospitals and places of worship (on Sundays and other recognised days of worship)
• more often than once every two hours in the same length of street

If you are reporting noise from ice cream vans of other vehicles please ensure that you include the registration number and a description of the vehicle.

Scrap metal vans

Scrap metal dealers are hard to track because they do not have set routes or times. If you can give us a signed witness statement with all the details, we can ask the DVLA for the vehicle owner's information.

The statement should include:

• vehicle registration number
• description of the vehicle
• where it was seen
• date and time

The statement might be used in court.

Once we get the signed statement, we apply to the DVLA for the owner's details. We can't trace a vehicle without a witness statement. If no owner is registered, we can only pass the details to the police. You need to give a separate statement for each vehicle. All scrap metal dealers must be registered with the Council.

For more information Scrap metal licence | West Northamptonshire Council.

The motor sport industry is important to the economy locally. We work with the circuits to deal with issues such as public address systems. They have their own regulations to deal with engine noise. Sometimes it is just a matter of knowing when it may happen, so it may be useful to check upcoming events on their websites:

• Silverstone Racing Circuit
• Northampton International Raceway (Brafield Stadium)
• Whilton Mill Karting