If you are reluctant to speak to your neighbour or you have already done so and the noise problem has not been resolved you can make a complaint to us.

Please email environmental_protection@bathnes.gov.uk or you can leave a voicemail on 01225 477551 and an officer will get back to you.

If you prefer to log your call at the time of the incident, then you may call:

Out of hours logging service - Tel 01225 477477.

Please note, we do not offer a reactive service to noise happening out of office hours. This is a logging service only.

Calls logged will be passed to the Environmental Protection Team the next working day. They will then contact you within 2 working days.

What we need from you

When making a complaint you must include:

  • Your name, address and if possible contact telephone number(s) and your email

  • The address you are complaining about and the type of nuisance (e.g. loud music, a barking dog, an extractor fan etc.)
  • When and for how long the nuisance normally occurs
  • The way the nuisance affects you e.g. prevents sleep

Anonymous complaints will not be investigated

As evidence needs to be gathered from the perspective of person(s) being affected, the Council needs to have the address of who is reporting the concern prior to starting an investigation. Your details will never be disclosed to the person(s) responsible for the issue, but this limits us to taking informal action only. If the Council were to gather evidence that required more formal action against the person(s) responsible (i.e. enforcement notices), you are likely to be asked to be a witness in court from which your identity as the complainant is likely to be made known. Our  officers will always consult with you before progressing  to this stage of the investigation.

How we investigate a complaint

The Environmental Protection Team has a duty to investigate and take action where a complaint of noise disturbance amounts to a Statutory Nuisance.  While the term “Statutory Nuisance” is not precisely defined in law, it generally means that the noise must unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of property, as assessed by a reasonable person.   

When assessing if an alleged nuisance is a Statutory Nuisance, an Environmental Health Officer will make an assessment based on these points.

  1. The time(s) at which it happens
  2. How often it happens
  3. How long it lasts
  4. The volume or intensity of the alleged nuisance
  5. The location and Characteristics of the area where the alleged nuisance takes place

Our normal response to a noise complaint is, in the first instance, to send a letter to the person who you believe to be making the noise, with the aim of resolving the matter informally. The letter to the alleged person(s) responsible, does not state who has made the complaint. If the matter persists, we will also ask you to complete a noise diary, of any further incidents on log sheets that are provided.

If you submit your completed noise diary, we will assess the log, and if we consider there is a justified complaint, we may install noise monitoring equipment or make a visit to determine whether the noise amounts to a statutory nuisance.

If we witness the noise and decide it is a statutory nuisance, then we will serve a noise abatement notice on the person responsible, requiring abatement of the nuisance.

If a person fails to comply with a noise abatement notice, then we can consider seizing and confiscation any audio equipment and prosecuting offenders in the magistrates’ court.

 

 

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