LoveMyVouchers.co.uk have completed a new study which reveals the areas of the country where the most noise complaints are recieved.
As part of our in depth study, we asked each local council across the UK to provide details regarding nuisance noise complaints for the last three years; including the noise source, location and outcome of the investigation.
Compiling the data received from 308 local councils, we were able to weigh the number of complaints by population in order to find the areas with the most incidents per head.
When weighted by population, the London Boroughs featured heavily in the top 10 in 2016; with Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Southwark, Newham and Haringey making up the top seven.
Outside of London, Newport in Wales received the most complaints in 2016, with around 18 reported per 1000 people. Residents of Falkirk in Scotland, Swansea in Wales and Cambridge in England also registered a significant number of noise complaints with their local councils.
Take a look at the interactive map to find out how each council area fared. Other key findings revealed by the study are detailed below.
MAP KEY: Number of complaints per 1000 people in residential population:
See full table of results below.
Kensington and Chelsea was identified as the council district with the highest nuisance noise complaint levels in 2016, with around 87 complaints reported per 1000 people. Hotspots in the area included Brompton, Colville and Golbourne.
Complaint types in Kensington and Chelsea included shouting and arguing, DIY and burglar alarms. The nuisance noise types that were most frequently complained about in 2016 included music, building site noise, and nearly 10% of the complaints were regarding street buskers.
The area with the second highest noise complaint rate was Westminster, at 73 complaints reported per 1000 people in the residential population.
Outside of London, Newport in Wales was the area with the highest noise complaint rate, with around 18 complaints per 1000 people in 2016.
The vast majority of the complaints in Newport were regarding loud music or TVs; and a large number related to animal nosies, such as dogs barking.
A similar noise complaint rate was also found in Falkirk in Scotland; and the area in England outside of London with the highest noise complaint rate was Cambridge, with 14 complaints per 1000 people.
The nuisance noise complaint rate was significantly lower outside of London than it was within the London Boroughs. The average rate for the top ten London boroughs was 39 complaints per 1000 people, whereas the average rate for the top ten outside of London was just 14 complaints per 1000 people.
Click on the bars in the following interactive charts to view full details for each of the areas.
For the purpose of the study, broad categories were defined, within which the sources of noise reported by each council area were placed.
The pie chart shows the distribution of the broad nuisance noise source categories compiled from the top 20 worst areas.
Music and TV noises were the most complained about, accounting for 13.1% of the complaints. After this the complaint types were fairly evenly distributed between vehicles, people (chatting, shouting etc.), DIY, construction, commerical and animals (such as dogs barking). Alarms were also responsible for a significant proportion of the complaints, and all other noise sources were applied to the category 'Other'.
Although each year there are a significant number of notices served, prosecutions for nuisance noise appear to be rare, with an estimated 0.14% of cases resulting in fines and convictions, including ASBOs/CBOs.
Very few complaints were registered in Dumfries and Galloway, making it the area with the lowest nuisance noise complaints rate, at just 0.08 complaints per 1000 people.
Similar results were found for the Derbyshire Dales, and the Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan Siar) in Scotland, the areas with the second and third lowest levels of shoplifting. 0.1 incident was reported per 1000 people residing in the Derbyshire Dales area; and 0.44 per 1000 people in the Western Isles.
Click on the bars in the following interactive chart to view full details for each of the areas.
| Council District | # Complaints per 1000 People | |
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Kensington and Chelsea
|
87.55 |
|
2
|
Westminster | 73.31 |
|
3
|
Hammersmith and Fulham
|
52.36 |
|
4
|
Islington | 46.19 |
|
5
|
Southwark | 34.38 |
|
6
|
Newham | 27.2 |
|
7
|
Haringey | 24.42 |
|
8
|
Newport | 18.38 |
|
9
|
Falkirk | 18.08 |
|
10
|
Tower Hamlets | 17.22 |
|
11
|
Swansea | 16.58 |
|
12
|
Camden | 14.61 |
|
13
|
Cambridge | 14.18 |
|
14
|
Southampton | 13.86 |
|
15
|
Hounslow | 13.85 |
|
16
|
Greenwich | 13.4 |
|
17
|
City of Aberdeen
|
13.26 |
|
18
|
Angus | 12.9 |
|
19
|
Redbridge | 12.84 |
|
20
|
Wandsworth | 12.75 |
|
21
|
Leeds | 12.33 |
|
22
|
Hull | 11.68 |
|
23
|
Southend-on-Sea
|
11.59 |
|
24
|
Norwich | 11.41 |
|
25
|
Ealing | 11.36 |
|
26
|
City of Edinburgh
|
10.99 |
|
27
|
York | 10.05 |
|
28
|
Portsmouth | 10.02 |
|
29
|
Milton Keynes | 9.82 |
|
30
|
Hastings | 9.62 |
|
31
|
Cardiff | 9.43 |
|
32
|
Coventry | 9.41 |
|
33
|
South Lanarkshire
|
9.41 |
|
34
|
Waltham Forest | 9.12 |
|
35
|
Shepway | 9.05 |
|
36
|
Sutton | 8.98 |
|
37
|
Kirklees | 8.66 |
|
38
|
Suffolk Coastal | 8.59 |
|
39
|
Manchester | 8.48 |
|
40
|
Rotherham | 8.38 |
|
41
|
Bristol | 8.37 |
|
42
|
Argyll and Bute | 8.25 |
|
43
|
North East Lincolnshire
|
8.21 |
|
44
|
Merton | 8.16 |
|
45
|
Dartford | 8.09 |
|
46
|
Wakefield | 7.77 |
|
47
|
Lambeth | 7.71 |
|
48
|
Ipswich | 7.36 |
|
49
|
Renfrewshire | 7.36 |
|
50
|
Northampton | 7.33 |
|
51
|
Bridgend | 7.32 |
|
52
|
Colchester | 7.31 |
|
53
|
Doncaster | 6.95 |
|
54
|
Bolsover | 6.81 |
|
55
|
Preston | 6.8 |
|
56
|
Darlington | 6.76 |
|
57
|
Caerphilly | 6.64 |
|
58
|
North Somerset
|
6.58 |
|
59
|
Leicester | 6.57 |
|
60
|
Middlesbrough | 6.5 |
|
61
|
South Tyneside | 6.5 |
|
62
|
Swale | 6.5 |
|
63
|
Rushcliffe | 6.43 |
|
64
|
Hinckley and Bosworth
|
6.32 |
|
65
|
Kettering | 6.29 |
|
66
|
Medway | 6.23 |
|
67
|
Chesterfield | 6.18 |
|
68
|
Hertsmere | 6.18 |
|
69
|
Wellingborough | 6.17 |
|
70
|
Thanet | 6.12 |
|
71
|
Isles of Scilly | 6.09 |
|
72
|
Worthing | 6.06 |
|
73
|
Newcastle-under-Lyme
|
6.02 |
|
74
|
Dudley | 6 |
|
75
|
North Hertfordshire
|
5.99 |
|
76
|
Blackpool | 5.97 |
|
77
|
Calderdale | 5.96 |
|
78
|
Exeter | 5.84 |
|
79
|
Gateshead | 5.82 |
|
80
|
Wiltshire | 5.82 |
|
81
|
Brighton & Hove
|
5.77 |
|
82
|
Luton | 5.77 |
|
83
|
Halton | 5.75 |
|
84
|
Hartlepool | 5.75 |
|
85
|
Croydon | 5.72 |
|
86
|
Gloucester | 5.72 |
|
87
|
Lincoln | 5.71 |
|
88
|
Hyndburn | 5.6 |
|
89
|
West Dunbartonshire
|
5.58 |
|
90
|
Poole | 5.55 |
|
91
|
Rushmoor | 5.54 |
|
92
|
Teignbridge | 5.54 |
|
93
|
Stockton-on-Tees
|
5.49 |
|
94
|
Bedford | 5.45 |
|
95
|
Rugby | 5.44 |
|
96
|
North Lincolnshire
|
5.42 |
|
97
|
Chelmsford | 5.4 |
|
98
|
Warwick | 5.4 |
|
99
|
Ashford | 5.39 |
|
100
|
Adur | 5.38 |
|
101
|
Arun | 5.34 |
|
102
|
Fylde | 5.33 |
|
103
|
Merthyr Tydfil | 5.33 |
|
104
|
Lewes | 5.31 |
|
105
|
North Norfolk | 5.16 |
|
106
|
Telford and Wrekin
|
5.16 |
|
107
|
South Derbyshire
|
5.14 |
|
108
|
East Devon | 5.13 |
|
109
|
Barnsley | 5.1 |
|
110
|
Sheffield | 5.08 |
|
111
|
Wrexham | 5.08 |
|
112
|
Canterbury | 5.06 |
|
113
|
East Riding of Yorkshire
|
5.03 |
|
114
|
West Dorset | 5.01 |
|
115
|
North East Derbyshire
|
5 |
|
116
|
Blaenau Gwent | 4.94 |
|
117
|
Nottingham | 4.89 |
|
118
|
Richmond upon Thames
|
4.89 |
|
119
|
Windsor and Maidenhead
|
4.87 |
|
120
|
Sevenoaks | 4.86 |
|
121
|
Hillingdon | 4.85 |
|
122
|
Rochdale | 4.84 |
|
123
|
East Lindsey | 4.82 |
|
124
|
Stevenage | 4.8 |
|
125
|
Welwyn Hatfield | 4.79 |
|
126
|
Warrington | 4.78 |
|
127
|
West Lancashire
|
4.7 |
|
128
|
Dover | 4.69 |
|
129
|
Redcar and Cleveland
|
4.68 |
|
130
|
Oldham | 4.64 |
|
131
|
Daventry | 4.63 |
|
132
|
Elmbridge | 4.62 |
|
133
|
Bexley | 4.6 |
|
134
|
Cheshire East | 4.57 |
|
135
|
Kingston upon Thames
|
4.57 |
|
136
|
Basingstoke and Deane
|
4.54 |
|
137
|
Great Yarmouth
|
4.53 |
|
138
|
Lancaster | 4.52 |
|
139
|
Chichester | 4.51 |
|
140
|
Tunbridge Wells | 4.45 |
|
141
|
Wokingham | 4.45 |
|
142
|
Newcastle upon Tyne
|
4.44 |
|
143
|
North Warwickshire
|
4.43 |
|
144
|
Mid Devon | 4.38 |
|
145
|
Lichfield | 4.36 |
|
146
|
Fareham | 4.36 |
|
147
|
Maidstone | 4.36 |
|
148
|
Sefton | 4.36 |
|
149
|
North Kesteven | 4.34 |
|
150
|
Vale of Glamorgan
|
4.32 |
|
151
|
Barnet | 4.31 |
|
152
|
West Berkshire | 4.29 |
|
153
|
Wigan | 4.27 |
|
154
|
Cornwall | 4.23 |
|
155
|
Fenland | 4.23 |
|
156
|
Maldon | 4.19 |
|
157
|
East Lothian | 4.16 |
|
158
|
Epsom and Ewell
|
4.16 |
|
159
|
Broxbourne | 4.15 |
|
160
|
Mansfield | 4.14 |
|
161
|
South Holland | 4.11 |
|
162
|
Co. Durham | 4.1 |
|
163
|
Bradford | 4.09 |
|
164
|
Salford | 4.09 |
|
165
|
Cannock Chase | 4.08 |
|
166
|
Purbeck | 4.07 |
|
167
|
Herefordshire | 4.06 |
|
168
|
St Albans | 4.06 |
|
169
|
Brentwood | 4.03 |
|
170
|
Conwy | 4.02 |
|
171
|
Newark and Sherwood
|
4.02 |
|
172
|
Gedling | 4.01 |
|
173
|
Plymouth | 4.01 |
|
174
|
Slough | 3.98 |
|
175
|
West Somerset | 3.98 |
|
176
|
Birmingham | 3.97 |
|
177
|
Breckland | 3.9 |
|
178
|
Mole Valley | 3.88 |
|
179
|
Melton | 3.87 |
|
180
|
Swindon | 3.83 |
|
181
|
East Northamptonshire
|
3.82 |
|
182
|
Reigate and Banstead
|
3.74 |
|
183
|
Staffordshire Moorlands
|
3.71 |
|
184
|
Rochford | 3.69 |
|
185
|
Wealden | 3.66 |
|
186
|
North Devon | 3.65 |
|
187
|
Eastbourne | 3.62 |
|
188
|
Derby | 3.59 |
|
189
|
Waverley | 3.59 |
|
190
|
Ashfield | 3.57 |
|
191
|
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
|
3.53 |
|
192
|
North West Leicestershire
|
3.51 |
|
193
|
Spelthorne | 3.47 |
|
194
|
Blackburn with Darwen
|
3.45 |
|
195
|
Stafford | 3.44 |
|
196
|
Trafford | 3.43 |
|
197
|
South Lakeland | 3.39 |
|
198
|
Inverclyde | 3.38 |
|
199
|
Isle of Wight | 3.37 |
|
200
|
South Staffordshire
|
3.37 |
|
201
|
South Ribble | 3.36 |
|
202
|
Gwynedd | 3.35 |
|
203
|
Surrey Heath | 3.35 |
|
204
|
St Helens | 3.34 |
|
205
|
Crawley | 3.32 |
|
206
|
Amber Valley | 3.31 |
|
207
|
Erewash | 3.29 |
|
208
|
Torridge | 3.29 |
|
209
|
Wyre Forest | 3.29 |
|
210
|
Burnley | 3.28 |
|
211
|
Babergh | 3.27 |
|
212
|
Tameside | 3.27 |
|
213
|
Reading | 3.25 |
|
214
|
East Hertfordshire
|
3.24 |
|
215
|
Havant | 3.2 |
|
216
|
South Kesteven
|
3.2 |
|
217
|
South Gloucestershire
|
3.17 |
|
218
|
Broadland | 3.16 |
|
219
|
North Ayrshire | 3.15 |
|
220
|
Boston | 3.14 |
|
221
|
Perth and Kinross
|
3.13 |
|
222
|
East Hampshire
|
3.12 |
|
223
|
Harrogate | 3.07 |
|
224
|
Winchester | 3.05 |
|
225
|
Vale of White Horse
|
3.02 |
|
226
|
Ryedale | 3.01 |
|
227
|
Carmarthenshire
|
3 |
|
228
|
Blaby | 2.99 |
|
229
|
West Lothian | 2.99 |
|
230
|
Mid Suffolk | 2.98 |
|
231
|
Cheltenham | 2.96 |
|
232
|
Wirral | 2.96 |
|
233
|
Sunderland | 2.93 |
|
234
|
Cheshire West and Chester
|
2.91 |
|
235
|
Orkney Islands | 2.9 |
|
236
|
Rother | 2.9 |
|
237
|
East Cambridgeshire
|
2.89 |
|
238
|
South Norfolk | 2.89 |
|
239
|
Chorley | 2.88 |
|
240
|
Denbighshire | 2.87 |
|
241
|
Harlow | 2.87 |
|
242
|
Pembrokeshire | 2.87 |
|
243
|
South Oxfordshire
|
2.87 |
|
244
|
Craven | 2.83 |
|
245
|
Huntingdonshire
|
2.83 |
|
246
|
Hambleton | 2.82 |
|
247
|
Rossendale | 2.82 |
|
248
|
Cherwell | 2.79 |
|
249
|
Tandridge | 2.79 |
|
250
|
Torfaen | 2.77 |
|
251
|
Charnwood | 2.76 |
|
252
|
Peterborough | 2.73 |
|
253
|
Wolverhampton | 2.7 |
|
254
|
Shropshire | 2.68 |
|
255
|
South Somerset
|
2.68 |
|
256
|
Rutland | 2.66 |
|
257
|
Guildford | 2.62 |
|
258
|
Braintree | 2.59 |
|
259
|
Dacorum | 2.55 |
|
260
|
Stockport | 2.5 |
|
261
|
Tonbridge and Malling
|
2.43 |
|
262
|
Forest of Dean | 2.38 |
|
263
|
Mendip | 2.38 |
|
264
|
Eden | 2.34 |
|
265
|
Flintshire | 2.31 |
|
266
|
East Ayrshire | 2.3 |
|
267
|
Bolton | 2.27 |
|
268
|
Wyre | 2.27 |
|
269
|
Allerdale | 2.21 |
|
270
|
New Forest | 2.21 |
|
271
|
Redditch | 2.16 |
|
272
|
Sedgemoor | 2.15 |
|
273
|
Copeland | 2.13 |
|
274
|
Worcester | 2.11 |
|
275
|
Chiltern | 2.07 |
|
276
|
Stoke-on-Trent | 2.02 |
|
277
|
Cotswold | 2 |
|
278
|
Fife | 1.99 |
|
279
|
Broxtowe | 1.89 |
|
280
|
Scarborough | 1.84 |
|
281
|
Three Rivers | 1.82 |
|
282
|
Hart | 1.8 |
|
283
|
West Oxfordshire
|
1.8 |
|
284
|
Runnymede | 1.79 |
|
285
|
East Renfrewshire
|
1.75 |
|
286
|
Taunton Deane | 1.7 |
|
287
|
Carlisle | 1.67 |
|
288
|
Horsham | 1.58 |
|
289
|
Bromsgrove | 1.54 |
|
290
|
Highland | 1.52 |
|
291
|
Stirling | 1.45 |
|
292
|
Central Bedfordshire
|
1.43 |
|
293
|
Wychavon | 1.42 |
|
294
|
Wycombe | 1.42 |
|
295
|
Malvern Hills | 1.41 |
|
296
|
Shetland Islands
|
1.29 |
|
297
|
Solihull | 1.28 |
|
298
|
Harborough | 1.18 |
|
299
|
Castle Point | 1.15 |
|
300
|
South Ayrshire | 1.12 |
|
301
|
Scottish Borders
|
1.09 |
|
302
|
Aberdeenshire | 1.01 |
|
303
|
Isle of Anglesey | 1 |
|
304
|
Aylesbury Vale | 0.67 |
|
305
|
Clackmannanshire
|
0.62 |
|
306
|
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
|
0.44 |
|
307
|
Derbyshire Dales
|
0.1 |
|
308
|
Dumfries and Galloway
|
0.08 |
The data for this study has been collected from local councils in the UK. LoveMyVouchers.co.uk have made every effort to ensure that the data used has been correctly interpreted, and is accurate and up to date.
Population data is based on the estimates from the Office of National Statistics.
City of London was excluded from the study due to the low population.
Northern Ireland was excluded from the study due to local council changes there in the last three years.