Noise nuisance

Land and Environmental services within your local council will deal with noise complaints. Most councils also have Night Noise teams who can come out of hours and measure the level of noise coming from the neighbour's house.

For long term problems, the Department is likely to ask you to keep a diary of the noise nuisance. During the investigation they may issue you with some equipment to record the noise. These two steps are designed to gather evidence for a prosecution (although it is likely they will give your neighbour the opportunity to turn the TV/music down without further action.

The police also have powers to prosecute for noise nuisance in terms of Civic Government Scotland Act 1982 section 54 for persisting, to the annoyance of others, in playing musical instruments, singing, playing radios etc. on being required to stop.

Please see the links in Related Information for further details. 

The police may attend at incidents such as this and can ask the organisers to turn the music down. The police also have powers to prosecute for noise nuisance in terms of Civic Government Scotland Act 1982 section 54 for persisting, to the annoyance of others, in playing musical instruments, singing, playing radios etc. on being required to stop.

Local authorities also have powers under the Antisocial Behaviour Scotland Act 2004 to deal with noise nuisance. Persistent offenders can be given a warning notice and if they fail to comply with that notice they will commit an offence. If you suffer from a persistently noisy neighbour you should report this to your local authority

If the car alarm is a false activation and not someone attempting to steal/break into the vehicle then first it would be advisable to speak to your neighbour about the problem as they may not be aware what is happening. If the problem persists then you should contact the Environmental Protection department at your local council who have powers to deal with nuisance car alarms.

If you do see someone trying to break into a vehicle then you should contact the police on 999.

The police have statutory and common law powers to deal with cars playing loud music. Police will issue a warning to those creating noise nuisance, and can thereafter seize the noise making equipment should the person fail to desist.

All complaints about low flying aircraft are dealt with by the Civil Aviation Authority. You can contact them by writing to:

The Civil Aviation Authority,
Consultation Secretary,
Directorate of Airspace Policy,
CAA House K6,
45 - 46 Kingsway ,
London,
WC2B 6TE

Telephone on 0330 022 1500, or email them here.

As with any complaint of noise you can report this to Environmental Services at your local council and it is possible that inconsiderate contractors could be served with a noise abatement notice.

There are generally no legal restrictions on the times this work may be carried out and sometimes it is necessary to carry out work during unsociable hours to avoid disruption to traffic or to carry out emergency repairs in the event of gas and water leaks.

If you can identify the contractor and/or the department the work is being carried out for i.e. gas/electricity/water/telephone then it may be worthwhile complaining directly to the company carrying out the work.

Yes there is something that the police can do. Please contact Police Scotland by dialling 101 and supply them with details of the rave and they will then take the appropriate action.

A rave is defined by the Oxford English dictionary as 'an illicit party or event, with dancing especially to fast electronic popular music'

It is an offence to:

• possess adult fireworks (all fireworks except category 1 fireworks - party poppers, sparklers, throwdowns etc.) in a public place by anyone under the age of 18;
• possess category 4 fireworks (professional display fireworks) by anyone other than a fireworks professional;
• it is illegal to supply adult fireworks to those under 18;
• throw or cast or fire any firework in or into any highway, street, thoroughfare or public space (this would include throwing or firing from a private place into a public place, street, highway etc.);
• to light any fire, or permit a fire to spread to, within 30 meters of a road which causes damage to the road or endangers road users.
• to light a fire in a public place so as to endanger any other person or give them reasonable cause for alarm or annoyance or so as to endanger any property.
  

There is a curfew on the use of adult fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on:

• Bonfire Night (when the curfew is between 12 midnight and 7am);
• New Years Eve (when the curfew is between 1am and 7am);
• Chinese New Year (when the curfew is between 1am and 7am);
• Diwali Night (when the curfew is between 1am and 7am).

The penalties for using fireworks outside the above curfew hours are imprisonment (maximum 6 months) and a substantial fine. Please note, you could also commit offences if they were being used to cause a nuisance.

You could be arrested for swearing in the street if your behaviour is such as to cause alarm to others. For example persistent shouting and swearing at passers by.