Over 400 noise complaints made to Causeway Coast and Glens Council last year

A new report has analysed noise complaints received by all eleven councils in Northern Ireland between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 – with Causeway Coast and Glens receiving 454 reports in that time.

Topping the poll was the Belfast City Council area with a whopping 5,705 noise complaints.

The new government data was analysed by CompareNI.com and reveals a total of 11,338 noise complaints in Northern Ireland this year. This is a 14.5% decrease in the total number of complaints received compared to the previous year, which was 13,261.

The statistics showed that 77% of noise complaints were made for domestic noise with 8739 complaints received. Domestic noise includes music, televisions, parties, house alarms and animal noise.

Anti-social behaviour saw the largest decrease for noise complaints since the previous year, dropping 40% from 302 complaints to 182. Other complaints were rarer than others, with a total of five complaints made for ice cream van chimes and six made for noisy wind farms.

Commenting on the figures, Ian Wilson Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “Noise can be more than a nuisance, it can ruin your comfort within your own home.

“As most of the statistics demonstrate, the largest number of complaints were made for domestic noise with a total of 8739 in the last year.

“There are certain things you can do to make sure you’re not being a noisy neighbour. Remember that night hours as stated by the council are 11pm - 7am so it’s wise to keep any TV or music low during this time period and parties taking place after this time should be kept to a minimum.

“The law defines a maximum amount of noise which is acceptable during night hours, when noise exceeds the permitted level, the district council can investigate and take action.

“There are things you can do to help reduce noise pollution from outside disturbing you in your home, such as making sure there are no cracks in your walls and that windows and doors are well insulated, helping reduce the outside noise.

“If you are getting noise from a shared wall with a neighbour try moving furniture around, so that heavy items such as bookcases, wardrobes or sofas can absorb the noise and stop it from disrupting you.

“If you’re prosecuted for a noise related offence it may increase your home insurance costs as most providers will normally ask if occupants have any convictions or pending prosecutions.

“If may also affect the validity of the home insurance policy, should you need to make a claim – insurers could refuse to pay out if the policyholders loud and excessive parties show they haven’t taken ‘reasonable care’ of the property.

“If you’ve just bought the property and the seller didn’t make you aware of the issues in the area, such as noise pollution and anti-social behaviour then you may be able to seek compensation through the courts – check your home insurance, some of the best policies come with legal protection included to support legal fees that might come from property disputes with neighbours.”