On receipt of a complaint of noise nuisance from commercial or industrial premises, the Environmental Protection officer will investigate to substantiate the claim.
In deciding whether the noise is a statutory nuisance or not, the officer will take into account the location, time of day, extent of the noise (how loud it is), any special characteristics it may have and whether any reasonable steps have been taken to mitigate it.
If the officer is of the opinion that a statutory nuisance is in existence and reasonable steps have not been taken - a statutory notice will be served to ensure that the nuisance is stopped and does not recur.
It is usual for the investigating officer to contact the company representatives to discuss the matter and hopefully resolve the nuisance before serving a notice, however they are obliged by law, if the matter cannot be resolved quickly, to issue the notice.
For advice about our procedures and the legislation we use please see our frequently asked questions page