Community protection Domestic

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're being troubled by, and try to explain calmly how and why the issue is affecting you. You may find this difficult, but often people are unaware that they're 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 using our template letter in the related documents section.

If you contact us we may ask if you've tried to resolve the problem yourself first by speaking to the person making the noise before we 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're affecting you. We aim to resolve issues quickly, and so we'll contact the person alleged to be making the noise to discuss the issues and try to agree a solution informally. If it's not possible to reach an informal solution we may suggest mediation between you and the person making the noise in order to try and resolve the issues.

We find that most issues can be resolved informally or through mediation, but we can potentially take further more formal action if it's felt necessary once other options have been explored. However, 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 tackling environmental nuisance through the legal system.

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