Noisy neighbour hell: these cities have the highest rates of complaints about noise

Have you ever had noisy neighbours? There is, of course, a world of difference between a neighbour who occasionally throws a loud Saturday night party (most of us have been that neighbour at some point in our lives) and anti-social behaviour, which can include persistent loud noise, rowdiness, damage to property, firework misuse, and other behaviours that are likely to cause other people living in the area harm or distress.

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It is this type of behaviour that is on the rise across the nation, with 2,178 noise-related complaints recorded in 2018, up a whopping 31 per cent from 2017. The highest percentage of nuisance-related reports (as opposed to personal or environmental complaints) was recorded in London, at 86 per cent. 

The North East, Yorkshire, and the Midlands have also been struggling with noisy and inconsiderate neighbours – between 75 and 80 per cent of all complaints reported to the police in these areas are nuisance-related. And the place with the least annoying neighbours? The South East of England, where fewer than half (47.9 per cent) of complaints were nuisance related – although that's still a quite a high number. 

What to do if you have noisy and inconsiderate neighbours? Talking to them first may still be the best solution, rather than reporting them to the police: many people are simply oblivious of the impact of their lifestyles on others, and will usually change their behaviour if made aware of it. Sunny Matharu, a spokesperson from Duette, who complied the data using a request for information under the Environmental Information Regulations Act, comments, 

'It’s surprising to hear just how many noise complaints are made each year around the UK; you would think that people living in close communities would be more mindful about the noise they make. When you are a victim of excessive noise levels ruining your peace and quiet it would be best advised to speak to the culprit before reaching out to the police, where possible, to try to find a peaceful resolution, but the police are on hand for repeat offenders.'

Find out more about what constitutes anti-social behaviour on the police's website.

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