The Council has a legal duty to investigate complaints of alleged statutory noise nuisance under the Environmantal Protection Act 1990.  This duty is carried out by officers of Environmental Health Services, who are independant, and will investigate your complaint to help resolve the noise problem.

The first stage is usually to bring the complaint to the attention of the person or company who is causing the noise.  Initially this is usually done on an informal basis in order seek a solution to the problem. 

If the noise problem continues, evidence will be gathered of the noise disturbance including the frequency, duration and level of noise. Your input in this process will be vital and you are likely to be asked to keep written records of when and how you are being affected by the noise. 

If officers determine that the noise complained of is a statutory nuisance and the person responsible has not responded to our informal approach to resolve the problem, then legal action will be taken against him/her or the company concerned.  This will be in the form of a legal notice - called an Abatement Notice - that will require nuisance to be abated within a specified time period (sometimes immediately).

It is a criminal offence not to comply with an Abatement Notice, and anyone found guilty can be prosecuted and fined.  Council officers also have powers to seize noise making equipment, such as hi-fi's etc. and this action will be taken with persistent offenders.

Barking comes naturally to dogs, but constant barking or whining of a dog can be disturbing or annoying for neighbours.  Common reasons why dogs bark include:

• Loneliness
• Boredom or frustration
• Attention seeking
• Defending territory
• Medical problems

Training is important to avoid unnecessary barking - and training should be started as early as possible, but it's never too late.  Dogs often bark when they are left alone and it's a good idea to get your dog used to you going out.  Start with relatively short periods to start with and gradually build up to longer periods. Praise your dog when he/she has been quiet for a period of time after being left alone.

Other things that may help include:

• Make sure your dog has sufficient fresh water and has been exercised before you go out.
• Leaving a radio or television on at low level with human voices on so as to provide reassurance.
• Obscuring the dog's view to passers-by, through fencing etc. 
• Leave some toys out for the dog to play with and make sure that there is a comfortable bed or basket to settle in.
• Leave a light on if it's dark, or if you will not be back until dark.

If you continue to have problems you can seek advice from your Vet or you may wish to contact a specialist animal behaviourist.  Further information can be sought from the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - see our list of useful Web-sites.

Many noise problems, particularly those involving neighbours, can be resolved informally, for example by explaining the problem you are experiencing.  Your neighbour may not even know how they are affecting you and may be glad that you have brought the matter to their attention.  If you approach your neighbour, do so in a polite and calm manner - this is best done soon after the problem has occurred, but not in the heat of the moment!

If you continue to be disturbed by noise, you can make a formal complaint to the Council's Environmental Health Service - see How will my complaint be investigated? 

If the person making the noise is a tenant of a Council House, Housing Association or Private Landlord you may also wish to contact the landlord to see if action can be taken under the terms of their tenancy agreement.