NOISE TURNED DOWN
Complaints about noise have dropped in Manchester. Council bosses were faced with 1,560 reports during 2014/15 – the lowest level in five years. But some neighbours say the figures make little difference to those residents who are plagued by the problem.
COMPLAINTS about dropped in Manchester.
Council bosses were faced with 1,560 reports during 2014/15 – the lowest level in five years.
But some neighbours say the figures may not be entirely representative and make little difference to those residents who are still plagued by the problem.
Peter Bowers, chairman of South East Fallowfield Residents’ Association, said many people report noise to police rather than local councils.
He said: “There may have been a modest reflection in noise nuisance problems we have in Fallowfield. But when we do have incidents they can be very distressing and we still don’t feel that the agencies yet have a reliable and effective way of closing down these noisy parties.
“For the local neighbours, they can be very disruptive and distressing.”
Support worker Shabana Saddiq, 27, has also suffered with noisy neighbours on her otherwise quiet street in Victoria Park.
She was recently forced to miss a shift at Manchester Royal Infirmary after neighbours blasted music during a rowdy party which kept her awake until 3am.
She said: “There were about 30 people in the house and the garden and it just got out of control. It started at 6pm and went on until about 3am. All of the noise have lights in the house were on and there was really loud music that you could hear all the way down the street.
“They were jumping up and down on the floor, which was shaking. One boy even decided to run up and down the block screaming at 3am, waking all the neighbours up.
“I was not in any state to work the next day so I had to miss my shift. It’s unacceptable and selfish. You just get to the point where enough is enough.”
Local authorities across Greater Manchester received a total of 10,146 noise complaints during 2014/15.
In Oldham, the number of complaints rose by almost two thirds with 1,129 complaints about noise compared with just 700 the previous year.
This represents the highest level in the region outside Manchester.
Neighbours in Trafford enjoyed a more peaceful existence as complaints dropped by almost a quarter. The council received 877 in 2014/15 down from 1,118 in 2013/14.
Across Greater Manchester, there were a total of 10,146 noise complaints to local authorities in 2014/15. The figures for each district were: Manchester – 1,560 Oldham – 1,129 Rochdale – 1,025 Stockport – 895 Tameside – 1,056 Trafford – 877 Wigan – 703 Bury – 884 Bolton – 1,043 Salford – 974