Noisy party - nothing that I can do?

jamesperrett

MiserlyMartin wrote: »

Environmental health don't come out at 1AM on a Sat night you know.

They certainly do in some places. We had them out a few times when we had noise problems with one particular bar across the road from us.

geoffwhite

When I was a local journalist I did an article on the noise enforcement team at Haringey in North London, and from that my advice is this:

Every time they crank up the volume, call the council out-of-hours noise enforcement number, and ask them to come out to observe the noise and record the fact.

It may seem pointless BUT it will help: basically the council enforcement guy to told me that you're allowed a couple of noisy parties per year. But beyond that, you start breaching noise regulations. If you breach the regulations often enough, the council can take action, including confiscating equipment (useful in your case).

HOWEVER, they can only take action if they have a record which shows continual and persistent breaches - which is why you need to call them out every time.

Once you get to, say, half a dozen incidents, give the noise enforcement team a call during office hours one day and ask what they're going to do about it.

If that doesn't work, you might be able to take civil action yourself, but I'd go through the council first to avoid rubbing the neighbours up the wrong way.... they're clearly not nice, law-abiding types, are they?

LisaLou1982

Sorry but i dont understand why you dont just go and knock on the door and ask if they wouldnt mind turning the music down a little as you have to be up early in the morning.

Provided theyre not the sort that have a party every night and dont care about what you think, then there is no reason for you to think they will be unreasonable.

As much as the press would love us all to believe that if you even look at someone these days youre gonna get stabbed or murdered, any young person in a hoody is going to mug you, people are no longer reasonable etc etc i have found very little proof that any of these things are actually true.

timmyt

post a letter to them. anonymous. keep it polite.

along the lines of :

Dear Resident of XX Road.

Re: Noise levels

On behalf of many of your neighbours, I regret the need to have to write to you and complain of the frequent levels of excessive noise coming from your house well into the early hours of the morning.

Aside from any children in the road, this is also a fright and disturbance to the elderly.

Please would you kindly contain your property's noise levels to accomodate your neighbours, so that the whole road can peacefully enjoy the evening.

Yours faithfully
Fellow Resident

Busbyuk

You don't live in Wimbledon do you per chance mess0804?

samhuzz

When I used to answer calls for the noise part of the EH dept. we used to send them some diary sheets for them to fill in when the noise was happening and how often etc. We asked them to fill them in over a period of 2 weeks then send them back to us and we'd have a look into it.

Wee_Willy_Harris

One incident of a bit of noise at 1am on a Saturday night and we've got suggestions ranging from paint stripper to putting bricks through peoples windows.

If Britain IS broken, then from I read here, it's the perople who tell us it's broken that did the damage!!!!!!!

worried123

It is no fun being subjected to `noise pollution` I do think that you have had a few helpful suggestions here though and I hope that you the problem sorts itself out for you.As others have said, it would depend how often the noise occurs....a one off would not be taken seriously. I personally would write an anonymous letter and see what happens.I moved three months ago and am still in shock at my neighbours from hell above me - three flats that inter-relate...unemployed young hooligans with no respect for anybody whatsoever......shouting swearing, slamming doors, stomping around and booming music out day and night....all through the night. (after a particularly noisy period I have to lie in bed hearing them throwing up) They have absolutely no respect whatsoever for anybody and the content of the noise is so incredibly disturbing.....I would go as far as to say that I felt `traumatised` for the first few weeks.....and my blood pressure has been through the roof ever since.Enivoronmental health told me that it was `normal living noise` and there was nothing they could do about it...(`normal` for whom!!!). Their landlord - housing association have given them the odd warning and it quiets to a degree for it all to start up again - they have a no animal policy and are warned countless times to get rid of their animals but they `still` call in their animals at 2.00 am at the top of their voices and slam their doors afterwards........I even rang the police in desperation at 3.00 am one morning because of aggressive shouting and swearing.......it sounds like bricks being dropped and dragged across my ceiling....it is absolutely totally horrific......and I just have the added stress of having to keep reporting to the landlord and keeping diaries...........nothing but nothing ever gets done about them and I doubt it ever will and it makes me sooooo angry......my health has suffered, my work has suffered........just absolutely incredible and at the end of the day, with all my complaining, they will end up with more rights than me concerning all of this.........Time to move again I think.

Wee_Willy_Harris

I presume your flat is also Housing Association?

worried123

Yes. it is....I rented privately for absolutely years and was eventually shortlisted for this flat on health grounds - I have some health problems and was working often 7 days a week to pay private rental which was not helping my health. I was really worried about social housing and this flat has turned out to be my worst fears....I am also a woman on her own and I actually find it very frightening and threatening living here at times. I am going to have to move back into the private rental sector. The sad part is this is a really lovely area and the flats are in a private road.....I honestly thought this was something you only saw on `panorama`........I didnt hear a thing where I lived before.