Pollution and noise

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The Public Protection department has a variety of statutory duties relating to noise and environmental pollution. These responsibilities are shared with a number of other organisations including the Environment Agency, the police, and the water companies.

The most important legislation enforced by the department is the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This defines the concept of ‘statutory nuisance’ for a wide range of potential nuisances including noise, odour, smoke and accumulations.

For any nuisance to be classed as a statutory nuisance it must be ‘regular and frequent’. This means that one-off noisy parties, occasional bonfires and seasonal manure spreading are not statutory nuisances and are not routinely investigated by the department.

A very general guide is that a noise that is happening at least once a week and is twice as loud as the usual background noise could be classed as nuisance.

Out of office hours, the Council offers a call-out service for emergencies only - please telephone the normal number and your call will be dealt with by our out-of-hours Contact Centre

If you are planning a party or carrying out any DIY or anything else that may disrupt your neighbours then it is strongly recommended that you let them know well in advance of your intentions. Take all reasonable steps to minimise any potential disruption for example:

• Keep music levels lower after 11pm
• Do not play loud music outside
• Avoid noisy DIY activities in the evenings and on Sundays
• Avoid bonfires. Compost garden waste or take it to your local Household Recycling Centre

Last updated: 18 March 2011