Noise

The council is unable to investigate complaints about aircraft noise.

If you are disturbed by noise from aircraft, you should contact Southampton International Airport (email sounoisecomplaints@southamptonairport.com)

Further information on aviation noise and the airports can be found in Southampton Airport's noise management plan

Intruder alarms

Alarms should not sound for more than 20 minutes. If you are being disturbed by an alarm which is sounding continuously, you can report it to the council.

If it appears the property has been broken into, please phone the police.

We will attempt to locate the owner of the property or a key holder and ask them to stop the alarm from sounding. If this is not possible, the council can apply to a court for a warrant to enter the premises and disable the alarm. This can take some time to arrange and the owner of the premises will be responsible for the costs incurred to enter the premises and disable the alarm.

If you have an alarm fitted to your premises you should check that it has a cut out device to silence it after 20 minutes.

Vehicle alarms

The council can also deal with alarms fitted to vehicles which sound continuously for more than an hour. The council will try to contact the owner of the vehicle, so that the alarm can be silenced. If the owner cannot be contacted, the council may enter the vehicle to disable the alarm or move the vehicle to another location where the alarm will not cause disturbance. The owner is liable for any costs incurred when entering or moving the vehicle.

If it appears the vehicle has been broken into, please phone the police.

If you own a vehicle, you should:

• Only have an alarms fitted by a competent installer
• Check the alarm has an automatic cut-out that will silence it shortly after it has been activated
• Check the alarm regularly to make sure it is still operating correctly
• Have any faults rectified immediately

Make a noise complaint

DIY works are small, short-term projects undertaken by non-professionals. If you are beginning a larger, longer-term project, please see the advice regarding construction noise.

You should think about the noise which your DIY project may create. Some tasks, such as hammering, or the use of power tools like drills, can cause disturbance to neighbours. Work to a wall or floor shared with an adjoining property can be particularly noisy. You should avoid carrying out noisy tasks in the early morning or late in the evening. If your DIY project will continue over several days, you should discuss the planned work with your neighbours and consider whether shift working, home working or children’s sleep patterns are likely to be affected by noisy tasks.

It is accepted that DIY tasks will create some noise in the short term, but if the project causes significant disturbance over an extended period of time the council may take action to reduce the noise impact to neighbours.

Make a noise complaint

Dogs usually bark because their owners are out and have left them at home alone. They will not usually bark while their owner is there, so the owner can be unaware of the problem. If you are disturbed by excessive barking, you should speak to your neighbour to see if the issue can be resolved amicably.

If the nuisance persists, the council's environmental health department may become involved and can provide advice to owners on ways excessive barking can be avoided.

Make a noise complaint

Retailers must only sell fireworks that conform to British Safety Standards and meet certain noise conditions. They must have a valid CE mark printed on the box and must only be supplied by an authorised retailer. Suppliers must only sell fireworks during the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year (unless the supplier has a special license).

According to regulations made under the Fireworks Act 2003, it is an offence for under-18s to possess fireworks in a public place and for anyone to let fireworks off during night hours (11pm to 7am). The only exemptions to this law are on 5 November when you can set them off until midnight and New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali when they can be set off until 1am.

Enforcement rests with the police who have the power to issue penalty notices of £80.

It is also an offence under section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875 to throw or set off fireworks in any highway, street, thoroughfare or public place. The power to enforce this section of the act also rests with the police.

It is very unlikely that fireworks noise will ever be frequent enough from any particular premises to constitute a statutory nuisance. This means the council is unable to take enforcement action to control the noise from fireworks.

Some businesses generate noise that disturbs people living or working nearby. Most commonly, noise from machinery, vehicles, sound systems or people causes neighbours to complain. The disturbance can be severe, depending on what time it occurs, how often it occurs and how loud it is.

If appropriate, we will then approach the business to discuss the problem and try to resolve the situation. The solution may be simple but, in some cases, more technical and costly measures may be required. The business may need to seek further professional advice, such as an acoustics consultant, to find a solution. For this reason, we always give businesses a reasonable period of time to resolve the problem.

If the noise is classed as a statutory nuisance, we can use enforcement powers if the business does not attempt to resolve the problem. Sometimes there are other control measures in place to minimise the noise coming from a business, such as planning or licensing conditions.

Make a noise complaint

Loud music is a major source of complaints. If you are planning a party, please inform all of your neighbours, giving them an approximate finishing time. As a general rule, 11pm is considered a reasonable time for music levels to be reduced.

Plan your party so that it is as far away from your neighbours as possible. Position your speakers away from adjoining walls. Some properties aren't suitable for large parties, so you may need to restrict the number of people and reduce the volume of music.

If you are suffering from noise disturbance from a licensed premises, such as a pub, you should inform them that the music is audible from your property. If you can still hear the music after you have spoken to them, you can report the problem online.

Report a noise nuisance

If you want confirmation of the licensed trading hours and any trading conditions, you should contact our Licensing team.