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WHEN our new neighbours moved in across the street last year, we assumed that the parties they were having would be temporary. However, the excessive noise has continued, along with other concerning behaviour. What can we do?

IF your neighbour is creating too much noise, such as playing loud music or having parties, there are options available to try to resolve the situation.

You should try to address the problem directly by talking to your neighbour first if you feel comfortable, and it is safe to do so.

Sometimes attempting to resolve issues informally is the best course of action, and can mean that there are no ill-feelings between you and your neighbour moving forward.

The best way to do this is to explain how the noise is affecting you with a request for them to reduce this, either permanently or at certain times of the day.

It may also be worth contacting their landlord if your neighbour is a tenant and they don’t reduce the noise.

Keep a record or diary of any disturbances and how often they occur if the problem persists, as this can be used as evidence in any future action.

There are additional steps which you can take if an informal approach fails, such as contacting your local council, normally through the environmental health department.

Contact information for the council can be found at mygov.scot/find-your-localcouncil.

They may visit your neighbour to ensure the noise is reducing, by highlighting the problem and demonstrating ing any wrongdoing.

Local ouncil officers, and sometimes the police, have equipment to measure levels of noise.

In Scotland, there are specific noise levels that have been identified as acceptable at certain times of the day.

As guidance, at nighttime – classified as between 11pm and 7am – permitted noise levels are lower than in daytime hours, with acceptable levels defined as no louder than 31 decibels.

If the council officer believes that a noise problem exists, a notice can be served on your neighbour.

This notice would require the neighbour to stop the noise, and if they fail to respect this request, they can then be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Police also possess specific powers to deal with excessive noise.

They can also issue fines to people who have failed to stop making excessive noise after being asked to do so, and can confiscate soundproducing equipment.

If your neighbour is physically violent, verbally abusive, or behaves in a dangerous manner, you should contact the police.

Police Scotland is available on the non-emergency number 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Sometimes abusive behaviour can be related to anti-social behaviour.

No accurate definition of anti-social behaviour exists, but it usually refers to people acting in a manner that causes, or is likely to cause, alarm or distress to one or more people in another household.

To be classified as antisocial behaviour, the behaviour must be persistent.

You can take additional action including mediation, involving the police and local authority, and pursuing legal action against your neighbour.

Advice Direct Scotland runs the advice.scot service, which offers free, practical, and impartial advice and information on matters including neighbourhood disputes.