LONDON: 24-hour drink laws blamed for increase in noise

24-hour drink laws blamed for increase in noise

Evening Standard

CHANGES to the licensing laws were today blamed for a record rise in complaints about antisocial noise i n London.

A survey found that some councils in the capital had seen the number of official complaints about noise pollution rise by more than 25 per cent in the past year.

We s t m i n s t e r c o u n c i l received 21,114 complaints last year, the highest number in England and a 10 per cent rise on a year earlier. The sharp rise coincided with the i n t r o d uc t i o n o f 2 4 - hou r drinking.

But councils also claim that an increase in garden parties, the use of laminate f looring and the popularity of larger televisions and music systems are also to blame.

The figures reveal that the rise in the number of complaints is particularly severe in the suburban boroughs of greater London. Hillingdon council reported the highest rise with the number complaining about noise leaping by 36 per cent to 3,772.

Croydon council saw a 22 per cent rise in the number of noise complaints last year; Ealing, a 29 per cent rise and Sutton, 27 per cent.

A spokesman for Sutton council told The Times: “The vast majority of complaints concern neighbourhood noise, reflecting changing lifestyles, with loud music frequently played and greater use of gardens for parties.

“Larger TVs and surroundsound systems also contribute to the greater volume of noise that can disturb neighbours.”

The findings coincided with a study claiming that at least 3,000 heart attacks and strokes in Britain are brought on by noise pollution.

“People’s health and hearing are at risk,” said Brian Lamb of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

Lambeth, Greenwich and Hackney councils saw a fall in the number of complaints about noise last year. Hackney said mediation between neighbours may have helped.