Nuisance neighbours: 5,000 noise complaints in one year

More than a third of requests for nuisance help in Tower Hamlets that the council receives are about noise. Pic: Flickr

More than a third of requests for nuisance help in Tower Hamlets that the council receives are about noise. Pic: NFHiB

Tower Hamlets is the fourth worst local authority for attracting noise complaints in the country, according to a new study which revealed more than 5,000 residential noise complaints were made in the borough last year.

Churchill Home Insurance’s (CHI) ‘nuisance neighbours list’ ranked Tower Hamlets fourth in the country for causing the most anti-social behaviour problems. This list was based on 318 responses to Freedom of Information Act requests that were issued to the UK’s 406 councils. The figures are only based on official complaints to the councils and do not take into consideration disputes that have been resolved between neighbours.

More than a third of requests for nuisance help in received by the council are about noise and Tower Hamlets Labour Party are pledging to introduce a 24-hour noise complaints service if they are successful in May’s local elections.

Councillor Helal Abbas, Labour’s environment spokesperson, said: “This study clearly shows that residents are suffering from late night noise, that is why we proposed introducing a 24-hour service to report and deal with noisy neighbours. People want to know there is someone they can call if they are being kept up by nuisance noise.”

However, the council believe that there is already an adequate system in place to deal with noise complaints.

A council spokesperson said: “The council run a noise service every day of the week and every noise complaint is responded to.”

“Our environmental health staff and Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers are available to provide an immediate response to noise complaints and our out of hours service serves the busiest times of the week. We will continue to think up innovative ways to combat issues that come alongside that, such as these noise complaints.”

According to the top-ten list, the only areas to suffer more complaints than Tower Hamlets were Westminster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Fife.

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