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Noisy neighbour complaints increase
COMPLAINTS about noisy neighbours nearly doubled in Winchester last year.
Chief among residents' noise concerns were parties and loud music, which accounted for nearly half of the 721 complaints received in the 2007/08 financial year.
Figures obtained by the Hampshire Chronicle show the number of noise objections in the district leapt by 46 per cent, compared with 2006/07, when 389 complaints were received.
Rob Heathcock, head of environment at Winchester City Council, said that the sharp rise could be explained by residents using the non-emergency 101 number to report noise issues.
"Some of these complaints are duplicates, we get people that call the 101 number and then the city council," he said.
"The important thing though isn't the number of complaints, it's the number of justified complaints. The vast majority of complaints are not as bad as they make out."
He said the rise could also be down to people simply expecting more peace and quiet. He added: "It's about tolerance and understanding. I think with the increasing busy lifestyles people lead, by the time they get home they expect more peace and quiet and people are not as considerate as they could be.
"If there's a continuous upward trend I'd be concerned. We can get variations year on year."
The city council also revealed that in the last four years no-one has been fined or prosecuted for noise nuisance offences. Mr Heathcock said only a very small percentage of complaints concerned persistent offenders.
In the last financial year 5,367 calls were made to complain about noise in Southampton, compared with 1,022 in the Test Valley and 605 in Eastleigh.
*Are you troubled by noisy neighbours? What do you think? Are we more or less tolerant today? Add your comments below.
6:13am Thursday 19th June 2008
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