New research has revealed that millions of Britons are suffering in silence each year at the hands of their noisy and anti-social neighbours.
However, a Dundee scheme to tackle night-time disturbances is receiving more than 3000 calls every year despite only operating four days a week.
A survey by Which? Magazine found that more than five million people are annoyed by their neighbours but that more than two thirds take no action to solve the problem.
Noise is the most common complaint with 60% of people enduring loud music, voices and television coming from the homes of their neighbours.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said, “That so many people are losing sleep, getting stressed and struggling at work because of noise from next door shows the damage this does.”
Mr Lloyd added, “People needn’t suffer in silence. If trying to solve the problem with your neighbour doesn’t work or simply isn’t possible, then get in touch with your local authority who can take action for you.”
The report showed 10% chose to take revenge by becoming nuisance neighbours themselves, a third spoke calmly to their neighbours about the issue, while one in five contacted their local authority.
But the Dundee scheme set up to tackle night-time has proved a success.
Dundee City Council’s night-time noise team was established in 2006 and since then has tackled noisy parties, loud music, TVs and barking dogs as well as a wide range of other noise related anti-social behaviour.
It takes just an average of 18 minutes for enforcement officers to arrive at the scene of a disturbance and they have a range of powers they can use to restore the peace.
Most complaints are resolved by a simple verbal warning, but they have the option of handing out a written warning or ultimately a fixed penalty notice.
The team, based in the environmental protection division of the council’s environment department, has issued 5203 verbal warnings about night-time noise since 2006.
Convener of Dundee City Council’s environment services committee, Jimmy Black, said, “The figures clearly show that most of the time a verbal warning is enough to resolve the issue, usually because people simply aren’t aware how much noise their TV or music is putting out and the difficulty that is causing for their neighbours.
“Dundee is full of housing which was built at a time when there were no powerful speakers, home cinema systems and surround sound from massive TVs.
“The houses aren’t built to cope with that and it means that people who are living next door to it frequently just get that thumping backbeat which can drive you mad.”
In an average year, 244 written warnings are issued to noisy neighbours and in five years only 82 complaints have been taken to the level of issuing a £100 fixed penalty notice.
Councillor Black said, “If these aren’t paid, the offenders can be the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal, but that is very much a last resort.”
Failure to pay the fine can result in prosecution and a possible fine of up to £1000. Equipment such as stereos, TVs and even CDs and tapes they believe to be causing the problem can be seized.
The team is operational Thursday to Sunday, 7pm to 4am and can be contacted on 0300 111 2222.
Photo by Flickr user DeclanTM.