Amplified sound played by neighbours (such as TV, music and radio) can become a noise nuisance, particularly if the loud noise is being played near a shared wall, floor or ceiling.

Amplified sound should be kept to acceptable levels and ideally after early morning/before early evening.

While barking is normal and natural for dogs, if a dog is constantly barking/whining then it can become annoying or upsetting for neighbours. Dogs may bark more than expected for several reasons, including boredom, loneliness, fear or territorial behaviour. If an owner doesn’t take steps to train and take care of their dog to make sure it isn’t barking excessively then it can become a noise nuisance.

While audible intruder alarms can be a useful way to protect a property, they can also become a nuisance to nearby residents if they sound continuously due to a fault. We may enter a premises to silence an alarm which has been sounding continuously for more than 20 minutes or intermittently for more than one hour and is causing annoyance to those nearby. We will recharge any costs involved in us taking this action to the homeowner/occupier.

A misfiring audible vehicle alarm on the street or on a private property can become a noise nuisance.

A 'street' is defined as a highway and any other road, footway, square or court that is for the time being open to the public. If a vehicle alarm sounds on a street, a warrant isn’t required for us to carry out works to stop the cause of the noise nuisance.

If a vehicle is located on private property, a warrant is required to stop the cause of the noise nuisance. We’ll investigate the source, perform a DVLA search to identify the owner of the vehicle and, if the owner of the vehicle can’t be located, serve Notice on the owner to turn the alarm off.

De-activating vehicle alarms and/or removing the vehicle can happen an hour after the Notice is served. De-activation and/or remove of the vehicle requires the expertise of specialist firms to act on behalf of us.

Noise from drum playing taking place in a home or garage could count as noise nuisance if it takes place during unreasonable hours and for longer than 30 minutes each session. Unreasonable times are typically considered to be in the early morning before 9am, or in the evening after 7pm (particularly during weekends and bank holidays). We may be able to take action if excessive noise nuisance is caused by drum playing, including seizing any of the noise-making equipment.

DIY noise could count as noise nuisance if it happens outside of reasonable hours. Our suggestion for reasonable times is between 8am to 8pm during weekdays, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays/Bank Holidays (we’d also recommend that no noisy DIY work should be done on Sundays and Bank Holidays if it also happened throughout the previous week i.e. Monday to Saturday). We may be able to take action in extreme cases of DIY noise.

Construction and demolition activities are typically very noisy. A balance is required in order to make sure the work is completed as quickly as possible within its scheduled time whilst making sure you, as local residents, are affected by the noise as little as possible during the work. There are no official rules relating to what noise is allowed from a construction site, however we often contact developers who have submitted planning applications (before any planning consent is considered or given) to tell them about suitable ways to reduce noise levels during construction.

We (as the local authority) do have powers under the Control of Pollution Act which can allow us to put specific restraints on construction and demolition activities - such as working hours or the type of plant to use. However because serving legal notices and going to court takes time, the construction in question is usually completed and the problem has resolved itself during this time. Because of this we prefer to reach an informal solution between the residents and developers involved whenever possible. 

Cockerel crowing can become a noise nuisance for countryside residents when it disturbs sleep, particularly in the very early morning during summer times. We recommend that cockerels should only be kept by residents living in non-urban areas of Wrexham (whereas hens can be kept on a property within urban areas). Crowing hens can also be a problem but this is less common and may also be an indication of illness in the hen. All chicken owners should take steps to make sure their animals aren’t causing a noise nuisance by crowing.

Bell ringing from churches is generally within an agreed schedule so that local residents aren’t unreasonably disturbed by the noise. Churches may have scheduled bell ringing for services and practice sessions, as well as occasional funerals and weddings. Bell ringing could count as a noise nuisance if the ringing is performed in an unscheduled manner. If you think your local church is causing a noise nuisance with bell ringing you may wish to contact them directly. If the problem continues you could take further action yourself by complaining to the Magistrate’s Court under Section 82 of the above Act or pursue Civil Action for noise nuisance at Common Law.