A package of measures to tackle anti social and noisy neighbours in the form of an additional mandatory ground for possession has been announced by Housing Minister Grant Shapps. The new powers mean that tenants with a track record of anti-social behaviour can be evicted from council or housing association property much more quickly. This will lead to a faster and fairer courts process as being found guilty of housing related anti-social behaviour in one court will provide automatic grounds for eviction in the county court. Grant Schapps said “I’m giving landlords and residents the support they need to reclaim their streets and make their houses feel like homes again.”

Planning for Noise Action Week this year is well underway. Here are some of the events that are planned so far:

Hull City Council will be looking at student noise, hearing damage and noise from pubs and clubs. They are hoping to highlight how hearing can be damaged and the importance of hearing protection. Awareness aimed at students is also being featured by targeting students on campus and as they leave local nightclubs.

Medway Council are organising a 5 day road show event based on dog ownership. They are raising awareness on dog barking and control orders and providing the public with information on good dog ownership and micro chipping. The event is in partnership with PDSA, The dogs trust and Battersea.

Check out our website for further information on ideas and how to plan an event. There is also a bunch of free resources to download including a how to guide, fact sheets, posters and fliers. Come have a look and start planning yours!

As always, organisations around the UK will hold a range of fun and exciting events to raise awareness about the impact of excessive noise on communities and individuals. Detail of these events will be posted on our website, www.noiseactionweek.org.uk.

For those who want to take part, check out our website for tips on choosing a theme and activity, as well as what to think about when organising an event. We will also have a range of free resources to download, including a How to Guide, posters and flyers.

So put the date in your diary and get planning!!

Employers are supposed to follow guidelines from the government which regulate employees contact with high levels of noise, such as carrying our health surveillance where there may be a risk to health, or providing employees with ear protection. High noise exposure is classified by the Government as daily or weekly exposure of 85dB, a power drill can reach this level of noise. Working with this level of noise for long periods of time could eventually lead to hearing problems such as tinnitus (constant ringing or whistling in the ears), or even some hearing loss. If you’re worried about the level of noise at your work have a look at the government’s guidelines on ‘Noise at Work’ http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg362.pdf

Don’t forget to fill in our online event form and let us know what you got up to – http://www.noiseactionweek.org.uk/eventform.php, and send any event photos to carina.perkins@environmental-protection.org.uk.

See you again next year!

The Environmental Protection Team and A Squadron of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment joined forces in front of the local press of Wiltshire. The regiment kindly provided a Challenger II tank, weighing approximately 72 tonnes to crush seized noise equipment collected over the last two years.

Richard Francis (EHO), said this: ” We have had a large number of seizures which have resulted in prosecutions and full forfeiture of equipment to dissuade potential future offenders.  The majority of equipment  crushed is of poor quality although still very capable of causing neighbourhood nuisance.

“We’re hoping that both the radio and newspaper coverage will highlight to the public that the council are here to help tackle neighbourhood noise nuisance and demonstrates we can deal with it effectively.”

Through the first year of Wiltshire Council the Environmental Protection team have received over 1600 domestic noise complaints with the majority of these being music related. The team have concentrated forging closer links with both the local Neighbourhood policing teams and housing associations and see both as a valuable resource for witnessing incidents of noise nuisance and educating the offenders.

All the Equipment crushed did not have a saleable value and the remaining items were disposed to an Authorised Approved Treatment Facility for disposal in compliance with the WEE directive.

As well as the launch, the EP team has been out promoting noise action week across the towns of Wiltshire in the Noise Bus.   They have been  jointly working with the Dog wardens and the Anti social behaviour teams.

Here are some simple steps to preserve the peace and quiet in your life:

ALL DAY:

Pay attention to the noises you make and respect your neighbor’s right to peace and quiet.

Turn down the volume two notches on your radios and personal stereo systems with headphones.

Turn down the volume one notch on your television.

Do NOT honk your horn, except in the case of imminent danger.

Do NOT tip taxi drivers who honk their horns illegally.

Avoid noisy sports events, restaurants, rock concerts and nightclubs unless you use hearing protection.

Replace noisy activities with quiet ones such as taking a walk, visits to libraries and museums.

Ask your health club instructor to lower the music.

Ask the movie theater manager to turn down the volume.

Wear adequate hearing protection if you must be in a noisy environment (the subway, mowing the lawn)

Turn off the television during dinner and have a quiet conversation instead.

Get a free hearing screening.

Organize a town meeting to review (or develop) a local, enforceable noise ordinance.

Spread the word about the danger of noise,

and remember… OBSERVE ONE MINUTE OF NO NOISE FROM 2:15-2:16 P.M!!

Listen out for me on BBC West Midlands at lunchtime today, where I will be discussing International Noise Awareness Day, Noise Action Week and neighbourhood noise issues!

According to research commissioned by Worx Lawn & Garden tools as part of Noise Action Week, over half of Brits claim that their garden’s peace has been shattered by neighbour noise.

More than a quarter of those surveyed said that they have been woken up by a neighbour mowing their lawn, with a further 26% adding that a neighbor mowing their lawn has disturbed them while relaxing in the garden. Screaming kids and blaring music were also top bug bears.

With tensions running high, noise has resulted in some serious neighbourly grudges. While 15% of people have asked the neighbours to keep the noise down, others are resorting to tit-for-tat payback. Over a tenth (12%) admit to cranking up the stereo and blasting out loud music, while a rather irked minority admit to purposefully indulging in a spot of early morning DIY or gardening, or even trying to wake their neighbours up in the middle of the night by being deliberately noisy.

It doesn’t take much to improve neighbourly relations and avoid turning your garden into a battleground. you might think of your garden as an outside room but remember that it is a room without walls. Be considerate and turn down your stereo. If you have to do noisy chores like mowing the lawn or strimming, make sure you do them in the middle of the day rather than first thing in the morning.

If problems do occur, go and talk to your neighbours calmly first- often you will find that they didn’t even realise they were making a noise. If you have tried to reason with them and they are still making an unacceptable level of noise, you can always report them to your local authority, who have a duty to investigate your complaint.

For more tips on how to reduce the noise in your garden and report any problems, visit Environmental Protection UK’s Quieter Homes website www.quieterhomes.org.uk

To help you reduce the noise in your garden, Environmental Protection UK is giving away a free Worx Lawnmower with Mute^TM Technology for Noise Action Week.

To be in with a chance to win, just enter our online competition at http://www.noiseactionweek.org.uk/competition.php

The report surveyed 2,131  adults aged 16 and over  in April and discovered that loud voices and neighbours arguing was the most disturbing noise (58%), followed by blaring music or television (40%). It also found that at least 26% of people were bothered by slamming doors and 15% were disturbed by regular parties.

Out of these, many said that it affected their quality of life. One in ten said unwanted noise had been affecting their work or health and others said noise made them irritable, angry or stressed.

Despite this, the survey revealed that few were willing to face the problem and deal with it, only 36% in fact. Less than a third spoke to their neighbours about the problem, and fewer than a quarter reported the noise to their local authority.

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith, said: ‘Noisy neighbours can make life a misery, and our research shows that people are losing sleep, struggling at work and arguing with their partners all because of disturbances from next door.’ He encourages those suffering to talk to their neighbours and if that doesn’t work, then to get in contact with their local authority where they can take further action.

Worx Lawnmower with MuteTM Technology

Environmental Protection UK is holding a competition for Noise Action Week this year, with the hope of cutting down on some neighbourhood noise.  To win a Worx 40cm cordless lawnmower with unique Mute^TM technology (worth £299.98), all you have to do is fill out the form on our website and match the sounds to their correct decibel level.

This clever mower converts noise to only 63dB, making it inaudible from 10 metres, so you won’t disturb your neighbours.  It’s performance is great too,  the battery will provide twice as much run-time as a standard cordless mower and Intellicut^TM technology means that blade speed doesn’t change, even in thick, dense grass.

So if you’re someone who likes to mow their lawn on a quiet Sunday morning, get online and enter the competition.