Noise greatly affects our quality of life and exposure to continual loud noise can affect our hearing as well as our general health. The Environmental Protection Team may be able to help you, but in certain circumstances you may wish to consider taking the following steps before reporting it to us.
What you can do
- Try speaking to your neighbour in the first instance.
- If the direct approach does not succeed, you may want to consider mediation.
An independent third party will listen to the views of both parties and can help them to reach an agreement or compromise.
Please contact the Bath Area Mediation for more information:
Telephone: 01225 571296
Email: bathmediation@phonecoop.coop - Speak to your Landlord or Housing Association.
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Take you own civil action. Download Taking your own action for more information.
Report it
- Call: 01225 477551 (between 08.30 am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday)
- Email: environmental_protection@bathnes.gov.uk
- Write to us:
Environmental Protection Team
Lewis House,
Manvers Street,
Bath,
BA1 1JG
Out of Hours Service – You can call 01225 477 477 to report a noise problem out of normal working hours. The complaint will be logged and passed for an officer to respond within the next 5 working days. Please note that this is a logging service, and officers do not respond at the time of the call.
What we will need from you.
Important – when you complain, you will be asked for your details and details of where the noise is coming from. We can not take complaints if this information is not provided. This information will not be shared with a third party.
What happens next?
We will:
- Contact you within 5 working days.
- Write to the person causing the noise.
- Ask you to complete noise diaries.
- We may install noise monitoring equipment.
- We may visit when the noise is happening.
- We will inform you of whether we believe we can take action.
We can deal with:
- Noisy neighbours
- Pubs, nightclubs
- Construction sites. Download Code of Practice for further information.
- Barking dogs
- Alarms
- Busking
- Noisy kitchen extracts, air conditioning units and machinery.
We have limited powers to deal with:
- Deliveries
- Environmental noise
We can not deal with:
- Aircraft noise
- Road traffic noise
- Noise from everyday living. Download Sound Insulation for further information.
Alarms
- Your system should be properly designed, installed and maintained to prevent false alarms. British Standard BS 4737 sets out the specification and procedure for installation and maintenance of alarm systems. Make sure the company responsible for your alarm operates to these standards.
- Get your alarm system regularly maintained (as set out in BS 4737). Your insurance company may insist on this too.
- Your system should be fitted with an automatic cut-off device to stop the alarm ringing after about 20 minutes. Most modern alarms have this, plus a flashing light that keeps going after the ringing has been cut off. You must tell your insurers if you have an automatic cut-off device.
- Tell the police the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least two keyholders (including yourself) within 48 hours of installing a new alarm system or taking over an existing one. You should also tell the local authority that you are responsible for the alarm and let them know the address of the police station where the keyholder details are kept.
- If you do not have a cut-off device fitted, you are expected to have nominated keyholders to the police who can silence the alarm within 20 minutes of being notified.
- If your alarm is causing a noise nuisance and no keyholders can be found, then the local authority can order you to fit an automatic cut-off device to prevent further noise nuisance incidents.
Vehicle alarms
Every effort will be made to trace the registered keeper of the vehicle. If the keeper can not be found and the alarm is causing a nuisance, it may be towed and stored in a secure location, and the registered keeper will be liable to pay costs.
Useful links for more information about noise
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