Noise

If you're being disturbed by noise in your area, we always recommend that you try to resolve the problem informally first, before you contact us. We find most issues can be resolved informally without the need for our involvement. 

You should speak to the person making the noise and explain politely what it is that you are being troubled by, try to explain calmly how and why the issue is affecting you. You may find this difficult, but often people are unaware that they are causing a problem and will be glad to do what they can to reduce it. However, approach the matter carefully if you think the person might react angrily. 

If you don't feel able to approach the person directly, consider writing a letter. 

If you contact us we may ask if you have tried to resolve the problem yourself first by speaking to the person making the noise before we will get involved. 

If speaking to the person making the noise hasn't resolved the problem, you can contact us to explain what the issues are and how they are affecting you. We aim to resolve issues quickly and so we will contact the person alleged to be making the noise to discuss the issues and try to agree a solution informally. 

We find that most issues can be resolved informally or through mediation, however the council can potentially take further, more formal action if it is felt necessary once other options have been explored. 

There are some occasions when we can't take formal action, for example: 

• everyday noises audible due to poor sound insulation between adjoining properties  

• normal road noise 

• aircraft noise 

You have the right to take private legal action Take a look at our advice on how to take your own action through the legal system. 

You can also seek advice through the Citizen's Advice Bureau or on the GOV.UK resolving neighbour disputes web pages 

Premises used for public entertainment, such as a pub or club, may require a licence from the council. If you are being disturbed by noise from a licensed premise you can report it to us. You will have to provide your name and address and as much information as you can about the noise e.g. the type and time. You may also be asked to complete diary sheets to record the type of noise and how often it is happening.

Dogs often bark as a result of boredom and/or loneliness, and the dog may be suffering from both. If it's barking when the owners are out, they may not be aware of the problem. You should try speaking to them to see if you can resolve the matter informally - see our information on Barking Dogs

You may be on the other side of the fence and have received a complaint about noise disturbance caused by your dog's barking. If this is the case, then please have a look at our Guide to Barking Dogs. If you need further assistance, please contact us to discuss the matter.

South Staffordshire Council are not the enforcing authority for complaints regarding aircraft noise. 

For more information or to make a complaint about domestic aircraft noise, please contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on 020 7379 7311, or via their website. 

All alarms should be fitted with a 20 minute cut-out device, if the alarm sounds for longer than this it may be faulty. 

If an alarm has been sounding for some time, say overnight, and there is no one present to shut off the device, you can contact us. We may attend the area to witness the alarm sounding and will attempt to contact the person responsible for the alarm. 

If the noise is deemed to be a justifiable annoyance, the council will take action to disable the alarm. The property will be left properly secured. Any costs incurred (i.e. locksmith charges) will be recharged to the owner or occupier. 

Car alarms should cut out after five minutes. If an alarm has been sounding for a lot longer than this and there is no one present you can approach to request the device is shut-off, you can contact Public Health Protection. We will need to know the make, model, colour and location of the vehicle and its registration number.

In many cases the person making the noise is unaware they are causing a problem, and the issue can be resolved quite simply. Where possible we ask you to attempt to resolve the problem yourself by talking to your neighbour before contacting us. 

If this is caused by people or children shouting or playing, it may be antisocial behaviour - see our advice on reporting antisocial behaviour 

The environmental protection team can deal with certain noise in the street, such as noise from machinery and equipment, but not noise from moving traffic.

Not generally – unless there is violence or threatening behaviour. 

We often work with the police to deal with neighbourhood issues, and if a noise is causing you to be concerned about the safety of someone in a property, then you should alert the police.

Normally we ask for small scale building work which is likely to be noisy to be restricted to 8.00am - 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am - 1pm on a Saturday, with no noisy building work taking place on Sundays or bank holidays. Large scale works may be subject to individual restrictions. 

For DIY noise it is difficult to set standard hours for when work takes place, but the over-riding responsibility is to be reasonable. 

There are no set times before which work such as this is prohibited unless it's already been covered by a formal notice imposed by us. Utility companies often agree times of work with us beforehand (especially if they are working overnight) but smaller contractors sometimes don't. If you can identify who the contractor is, we may be able to request that they work with us to protect residents' amenity, and we hope that this will lead to the time of future works being agreed. 

Contractors have no legal obligation to contact us regarding likely noise before starting work. Noise in the street from vehicles, machinery or equipment (but not moving traffic) may constitute a statutory nuisance. If you are able to, please speak to the builder, or the person who owns the property being worked on, first about the issue before contacting us. 

For safety reasons work can often only be carried out when the power is turned off, which happens for a few hours during the night. If you are able to, please speak to the contractor first about the issue before contacting us.