This page provides information on how we investigate complaints.
If you need to find out about what we can deal with and how to report it please see the noise and nuisance homepage.
We cannot respond to anonymous complaints as we need to prove nuisance at the home of the people disturbed by the noise. We also need information about where the noise is coming from, or where you think it is coming from so that we can contact them. Often people don't know they are causing a problem and will resolve issues quickly when they realise.
What we expect of you
- You will provide your contact details, as we cannot investigate or prioritise anonymous complaints.
- If the noise ceases before our officers attend, please call the service to cancel your visit request.
- If you are issued with a noise and nuisance diary sheet or noise and nuisance diary app, you will accurately fill and complete the noise and nuisance diary sheet and return it within 4 weeks.
- In interactions with officers on the phone and in person residents are expected to be courteous. Threats, violence or aggression against our officers, will not be tolerated.
- You may be asked to provide a supporting statement in cases where enforcement action is necessary.
- You will allow access to your home if officers need to assess noise within it.
- You will provide clear and accurate information about the nature of your complaint including the duration and frequency of the noise.
What you can expect of us
The investigation process
The team investigates complaints to determine whether a complaint qualifies as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
This process ensures that noise complaints are handled efficiently and fairly, helping to maintain a peaceful living environment for all residents.
1, Initial assessment
When a complaint is received, an officer will review the details and prioritise the case based on factors such as the nature of the disturbance, case history, the number of residents affected, and geographic location.
When you make a complaint, we will contact the person you have complained about to ask them to consider what they are doing and ask them to stop anything which may be causing the noise problem. When we contact the person, you have complained about, your details will be kept confidential and will not be released to the subject of the complaint without your explicit permission.
We will also ask you to keep records of the noise nuisance and how it affects you. This may be used as evidence in a Magistrates Court, in the future. You will be given a Noise and Nuisance Diary Sheet which can be downloaded to complete on your computer or to print and fill in.
Please don't use this form without first making a complaint as they are for use after we have notified the person who you have complained about.
If you are not able to complete a noise and nuisance diary (rather than you don't want to), please discuss this with the investigating officer dealing with your case.
After you send us the noise and nuisance diary, and if the noise is something we can deal with, we will arrange to visit at times when we are likely to hear the noise or ask you to call us out when it happens and if needed, use recording equipment to gather evidence.
2, Site visits
If necessary, officers will conduct site visits to observe and assess the noise or other nuisance firsthand. These visits help gather evidence and to understand the impact of the noise or other nuisance on residents. During periods of high demand, a visit may not be possible straight away.
If we visit to assess a noise, we will normally need to visit you in your home to listen to the noise where you are most affected by it. The recording equipment which we may install for use with irregular timed incidents, at night and outside office hours enables us to record the sounds you hear and their volume when you press the record button.
3, Monitoring
Noise monitoring equipment may be installed to measure noise levels over a period. This data helps determine if the noise constitutes a statutory nuisance. You may be asked to keep a noise and nuisance diary of the nuisance, noting times, duration and impact.
4, Communication
Officers may contact the person responsible for the noise to discuss the issue and seek a resolution. This can involve informal warnings or advice on reducing noise levels
When witnessing noise officers will determine if it is unreasonable, if it is likely to amount to a nuisance and whether it is appropriate and safe to approach the noise maker.
5, Abatement notices
If the noise is deemed a statutory nuisance, the council can issue an abatement notice requiring the responsible party to stop or reduce the noise.
Where a statutory nuisance is witnessed for an ongoing case, the case will be reviewed within 3 working days to determine the next course of action.
Abatement notices are legal documents issued by the council when a noise is determined to be a statutory nuisance.
These notices require the responsible party to stop or reduce the noise to an acceptable level.
Failure to comply with the notice can result in legal action, such as prosecution.
6, Follow-up
The council will follow up on complaints to ensure compliance with any issued notices and to check if the noise problem has been resolved.
If you or your neighbour is a social housing tenant, we will share any evidence obtained with the landlord for their own action.
This process ensures that noise complaints are handled efficiently and fairly, helping to maintain a peaceful living environment for all residents.
Working with other agencies: If your complaint is about noise or nuisance from an industrial site which has an Environmental Permit regulated by the Environment Agency, and the issue or part of the site is controlled by the permit (dust emissions, noise and vibration etc.) then we will refer the case onto them. In cases like this we are unable to take enforcement action ourselves but may assist the Environment Agency in their investigations.
7, Closing your case
We will close cases where they have been resolved, where we have not been able to gather evidence that a nuisance exists or is likely to happen, or where cases are not nuisances.
If you have returned a noise and nuisance diary or we have made visits to assess the nuisance we will try to speak with you as well as confirming the closure of the case by email or letter. This will give you information on what the next step is if the problems happen again, or in a case where we are not able to take action, that you have information about your options.
If you have not returned the noise and nuisance diary within 4 weeks of making a complaint, we will assume the situation has been resolved by the initial contacts to the person you said was causing a nuisance and close the case.