If you are affected by noise in the Waveney District, you can get
help and advice from Waveney's Environmental Services.
You can also call Environmental Services on 01502 523117.
What is Noise Pollution?
Noise, or unwanted sound, is a fact of everyday life. However, we
are all entitled to expect that the activities of others do not
interfere unreasonably with our private lives. This includes
freedom from the intrusion of other people’s noise.
Noise can arise from several sources:
- Domestic noise (loud music, barking dogs)
- Commercial or industrial premises (pubs, clubs, factories)
- Noisy equipment (alarms, ventilation fans, refrigeration
units)
- Outdoor events
- Vehicles (car alarms, ice cream chimes)
- Construction work (from DIY to major projects).
Download a leaflet that explains how we deal
with noise nuisance (56Kb) (Opens new window)
An audio version of this leaflet is also available -
Dealing with Noise Nuisance Audio Leaflet (mp3
format) (985Kb)
Noise in streets
The Council can also deal with certain types of noise in streets.
Some street noise is unnecessary and can be reduced, controlled or
avoided altogether. It includes:
- Car Stereos
- Buskers
- Noise from shops
- Chimes from ice cream vehicles
Officers can investigate this sort of noise to see if it is causing
a statutory nuisance. If it is, they can take action to stop it.
There may also be some licensing issues involved that our Licensing
team can help you with.
Road traffic noise
You can improve the sound insulation properties of your home to
reduce the effects of road noise, but you should seek expert advice
(we are unable to help you with this). Suffolk County Council may
be able to help if the noise levels from traffic have changed
because of changes in the road layout. They can be contacted on
08456 066 067.
Audible intruder alarms
The Council tries to maintain a register of
keyholders for audible intruder alarms. If you have one fitted to
your house or business and have registered the contact details of
the keyholder/s with us, we will be better placed to deal with it
quickly if it misfires. Further information on this subject and a
registration form is contained in our leaflet which can be
downloaded using the link below.
Download a leaflet/registration form audible
intruder alarms (56Kb) (Opens new window)
What do we do about noise pollution?
In many cases, the person/s causing the noise may not be aware that
they are causing a problem, and all that is required is a polite
request for some action to be taken to resolve the issue in a
friendly way. Don’t take any risks – such an approach can sometimes
produce a hostile response. Please contact Environmental Services
if you don’t feel able to deal with the problem yourself, or if you
have tried and it hasn’t worked.
Officers will investigate your complaint and decide if any legal
action is needed to solve the problem. They will always try to find
a solution, without legal action if possible, but can act quickly
in severe cases. If they are unable to help you, they will advise
you who can.
How do we do it?
Officers begin by
establishing the extent of the problem:
- If your complaint is not urgent, officers will write to or
visit the place where the noise is coming from.
- If the problem is severe and urgent and can be witnessed, then
they will take prompt legal action, including seizing noisy
equipment if necessary.
- If the problem has occurred before, officers will need to
decide if legal action is needed, and you may be asked to fill in a
record of dates, times and notes to show how bad the noise is. They
may also need to visit when the noise is going on.
What happens then?
When they have completed
their investigation, they will let you know and will do one of the
following:
a) Give advice if no legal action is
possible/necessary.
b) Require the noise to be controlled,
within a time limit, by serving an abatement notice.
c) Take action directly to solve the
problem.
If the abatement notice does not solve the problem, then officers
will have to collect more evidence before taking legal action, and
this may take some time. An abatement notice lasts forever, or
until the person named on it moves house or dies. If this does not
stop the noise, officers will take action to stop it (for example,
by seizing and destroying their amplification equipment). In
addition to this, they may prosecute the person/s responsible. The
maximum penalty for breaching an abatement notice is £5000 (£20,000
for a trade or business)
What about "Out of Hours"?
The Council does not provide an out-of-hours service for all noise
complaints. However, from May to September inclusive, officers will
be available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Bank
Holidays to deal with complaints of noise in the Waveney District,
of a particularly severe nature (see below for full details).
The person who answers the phone will not be an Environmental
Health Officer and will simply take the details and pass them on to
the Duty Officer on call. The Duty Officer may telephone you back
to discuss the matter. It will then be decided what course of
action to take which could be:-
- Offer advice
- Follow up on the next working day
- Visit to assess the situation
Contact us
You can report a noise problem online or you can contact
Environmental Services
To report a problem during working hours contact:
Email:
Environment@waveney.gov.uk
Telephone: 01502 523117
Write: Town Hall, High Street, Lowestoft NR32
1HS
Out of hours, summer hotline:
Environmental
Services operate an out-of-hours service at weekends from May to
September only:
Telephone: 01502 515435
Friday and Saturday (19:00 to 01:00)
Sunday and Bank Holidays (19:00hrs to midnight)
More help, information advicecan be found on the NoiseConcern
website at http://www.noiseconcern.org (opens new
window)