The top reasons for nearly 2,000 noise complaints in West Northants this year

From September 2023 to August 2024, West Northamptonshire Council served 15 notices requiring homeowners and businesses to stop the 'nuisance'.
-Credit: (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS)


Almost 2,000 noise complaints were made to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) over the last year over noisy neighbours, booming music, unwanted construction noise and more.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) showed that between September 2023 and August 2024 a total of 1,845 noise complaints had been received by the local authority.

The Northampton area came in as the noisiest attracting 1,141 complaints alone. People in Daventry and the surrounding area made exactly 345 complaints while towns and villages across South Northamptonshire received 359 in total.

In Northampton, the leading cause of noise complaints was reported as music, making up just over a third of all complaints. Whereas, in Daventry barking dogs took the top spot and also accounted for 33 per cent of all reports.

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WNC advised that it was unable to provide a breakdown of the noise complaints received in the former South Northants Council area.

You can see a full list of the complaints made over the last year in Daventry and Northampton and their reasonings below:

Northampton Area

  1. Music = 393

  2. Neighbour Noise = 317

  3. Dogs = 197

  4. Commercial Noise = 124

  5. Construction Noise = 42

  6. Alarms = 20

  7. Vehicle Alarms = 20

  8. Machinery in street = 11

  9. Street Noise = 9

  10. Miscellaneous = 7

  11. Transport = 1

Daventry Area

  1. Dog barking = 116

  2. Domestic = 106

  3. Commercial = 76

  4. Alarm = 13

  5. Construction = 13

  6. Machinery in Street = 9

  7. Transport = 6

  8. Low frequency noise = 3

  9. Other animal = 2

  10. Vehicle Alarm = 1

The LDRS also asked for a breakdown of noise complaints by location, however WNC said it does not record complaints by neighbourhoods or areas.

Despite the large number of noise complaints coming in, over the same period only 15 section 80 notices, which require the recipient to stop the 'nuisance' by a certain date, were served by WNC.

Noise can be considered a statutory nuisance if it unreasonably interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises, or if it injures or is likely to injure health. If someone does not comply with an abatement (section 80) notice they can be prosecuted and fined.