Could Cockerel Noise Scupper Our Rental Plans??

BOBBIs_MUMMY

We have had an offer on a house accepted on Friday & have decided to rent out the house we are currently living in which is in a residential estate. However, we have a mad woman (otherwise known as chicken lady) across the road who keeps chickens & a cockerel. Over the past few years several neighbours have complained about this to the council about the excess noise which has been waking our 3 year old up at various times in the early morning. The council in this respect are next to useless they favour the cockerel has more rights than humans!!
Whilst we can accept chickens make a little noise we can accept them, a cockerel is somewhat different.
Any advice on how to tackle this would be welcomed as we are concerned the noise may put prospective renters off and I am sure the neighbours would be pleased to see the back of it too!!!

Gwhiz

Aside from a shotgun, or kidnapping said bird, I'm not sure there is anything you can do.

However, I'm surprised that the council will not do anything about this noise in a built up residential area (I assume it's not in a remote farming community?)

BOBBIs_MUMMY

Gwhiz wrote: »

Aside from a shotgun, or kidnapping said bird, I'm not sure there is anything you can do.

However, I'm surprised that the council will not do anything about this noise in a built up residential area (I assume it's not in a remote farming community?)

Its certainly not a remote farming community, there are parts of the village that are but this is a fairly built up area in which the cockerels squawks are echoed around the close!! The council are next to useless!

James_N

BOBBIs_MUMMY wrote: »

Its certainly not a remote farming community, there are parts of the village that are but this is a fairly built up area in which the cockerels squawks are echoed around the close!! The council are next to useless!

So this IS a village?

Davesnave

I live 50m from a cockerel and it doesn't bother me at all, but stating that your council is 'next to useless' is unfair unless you and your neighbours have actually done something towards having the bird declared a Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

As with all noise matters, this means keeping a diary of the disturbances, which will be more easily and effectively done by a group of neighbours. Then, the Environmental Health Dept will be forced to act and monitor the noise themselves, issue a warning and, if the noise continues, bring a prosecution.

See this PDF as an example, and see what your council says it does: http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1725&Itemid=3276

whitewing

Surely the beauty (for the tenants) of renting is that if things like this become an issue they can just move out?

Cockerals don't last forever, and though the mad woman won't get rid of this one she may not be so quick to get another.

maninthestreet

How big is this c-o-c-k???

BOBBIs_MUMMY

James_N wrote: »

So this IS a village?

Yes a village albeit very grown up one now thanks to persimmon homes over the last 20 years or so!!! we are in the older part of the village (still on a housing development approox 40 yrs old) its not a village as in Goodnight Mr Tom!!

BOBBIs_MUMMY

Davesnave wrote: »

I live 50m from a cockerel and it doesn't bother me at all, but stating that your council is 'next to useless' is unfair unless you and your neighbours have actually done something towards having the bird declared a Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

As with all noise matters, this means keeping a diary of the disturbances, which will be more easily and effectively done by a group of neighbours. Then, the Environmental Health Dept will be forced to act and monitor the noise themselves, issue a warning and, if the noise continues, bring a prosecution.

See this PDF as an example, and see what your council says it does: http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1725&Itemid=3276

This cockerel lives literally across the road! at least 4 of the neighbouring properties have provided the council with nuisance reports keeping records of how long the cockerel is noisy for, at what time of day etc etc for 2 weeks at a time. We have asked the Environmental Officer to come out to see how close the houses are to each other and he refuses to do so. The noise has been apparently monitored by them but of course they always monitor when it is quieter and not 4 - 5am in the morning!! Thank you for your suggestions though we will have a look at the document you have suggested!

BOBBIs_MUMMY

whitewing wrote: »

Surely the beauty (for the tenants) of renting is that if things like this become an issue they can just move out?

Cockerals don't last forever, and though the mad woman won't get rid of this one she may not be so quick to get another.

Oh believe us as soon as one departs she gets another!!! she is well aware of the neighbours feelings towards her beloved bird and couldn't give a s**t!! It is the beauty for the tenants yes but we cant really afford for the house to be un let because of her

DVardysShadow

BOBBIs_MUMMY wrote: »

Its certainly not a remote farming community, there are parts of the village that are but this is a fairly built up area in which the cockerels squawks are echoed around the close!! The council are next to useless!

I went to a village once - they had a pub, which is fairly normal - but the tales they told. The old boys had this game, where I would mention any food product from the supermarket and they would take turns making up tall stories about where it came from locally. Like bacon, according to them, was sliced up pig :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:. They certainly have a strange sense of humour in the country - they even told me that you get eggs from chickens, although how such a stupid animal could produce anything like a multimillion pound machine could just defies imagination. The tall tales are one thing, but keeping the animals is quite another. I don't see the sense in it.

I hope you get a really big Tesco open close to you soon.