8. Up to 300 crashes in the UK are from someone
falling asleep at the wheel
That’s 20% of all UK crashes
40% of sleep related crashes are commercial vehicles
9.
10.
11.
12.
13. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils are obliged to take
reasonable steps to investigate complaints of nuisance noise (and other types
of nuisance such as littering or emissions) made by residents. The same law
states that where the local authority believes that a nuisance is present, it must
serve an ‘abatement notice’ on the individual responsible. The abatement
notice can forbid the nuisance altogether, or restrict it to certain times of day.
If the person creating the nuisance cannot be found, the notice is served on the
owner or occupier of the property from which the nuisance is coming. Failure to
obey the abatement notice is a criminal offence and can result in a fine of
£5,000.
In considering whether a nuisance is taking place, the council will consider (1)
the nature and location of the noise, (2) the time and duration of the noise and
(3) whether the activity creating the noise has any value.
‘Nuisance’
In England and Wales, ‘nuisance’ is defined legally as an unreasonable
interference with the use and enjoyment of one’s property. In deciding this,
consideration of the standards of the average person, and the character of the
neighborhood in question (such as whether other residents who are affected
have also complained) will be taken.
14.
15. Stop late night noisy neighbours with real action
There is often many months of late night music and diary making to endure
before councils will do anything about noisy neighbours. Please give the
Police the necessary powers to remove music systems from noisy properties
immediately on the same night a complaint is made.
No Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring being laid in flats causes a huge amount of problems for
tenants on the lower floors. This government should pass a law that any
upstairs flat MUST be carpeted - absolutely no exceptions.
Dealing With Abusive Tenants
Noisy and abusive tenants are a menace for many people. Even when the
local authorities have enough evidence to prosecute for breaches of
abatement notices they often feel they need far more evidence before they
can evict or prosecute said tenants.
I hereby ask that our members of parliament discuss ways in which they can
make it easier for problem tenants to be dealt with. And evicted if necessary if
they break noise abatement notices and continue to be abusive after official
warnings have been issued.
16. 1. If you feel safe enough to do so make personal
contact.
2. If you prefer to keep a distance, use an anonymous
letter or note.
3. Collect evidence. If your efforts at informing your
neighbours that they are causing a nuisance are
unsuccessful.
4. Be safe. When in doubt, do not engage your noisy
neighbours – if you fear that they might escalate the
situation into something beyond just noise making.
Editor's Notes
Personal experienceIts StressfulStress is one of the top causes of depressionDoes anyone suffer from noise neighbours or has done
Is any one here effected by noisy neighbors or has been.
BBC News segment about noise neighboursInterview a police officer from LincolnshireTalks about the pilot to tackle noise neighbours1 of 8 pilots set up nationally to tackle noise neighboursNoise nuances have gone up 33% in past monthsInterview – “there is no escape… I feel like the only choice is to win the lottery and move or die”
Pilots started because of these two peopleFiona Pilkington and her disable daughterAbused by neighbours for 10 yearsIn 2007 she killed herself and her daughterIndependent Police Complaints Commission investigatedFound she contacted the police 13 times in her last yearPolice visited only 8 timesNo arrests were made before there deathThe BBC News segment was released in Feb 2013
DerbyMultiple noise complaints they confiscate your equipmentHold it for a minimum of 28 daysYou can have it back but are charged for the seizure witch can easily go into the hundredsCouncillor HardyalDhindsa said “We don’t want people to stop having fun…but there is a respectful limit at witch neighbours are able to get on with there lives”Have a team on standby dedicated for noise complaintsCouncillor HardyalDhindsa said, “the council is dealing with over 1000 calls a year. People get stressed and depressed if there not in control of there own community's”A victim said “Its 24/7, moving furniture, kids running around all night. The TV is the other side of my bedroom wall I can hear it through my earplugs. Its louder than the TV in my room. It’s the sleep deprivation there is no escape ”That’s why there there
Sleep deprivation is when your body doesn’t get the adequate amount of sleep to function properlyIf you’ve ever been up longer than 24 hours you know how it feelsPuts you at a higher risk of getting depression and anxietyEffective symptoms on the body
Challenger space shuttle exploded killed 7 peopleChernobyl Nuclear disaster killed 31 people not counting the people exposed to the radiationBoth had sleep deprived people making decisions
Don’t drive tiredSleep deprivation causes bad judgmentPeople awake for as little as 17 -19 hours performed worse than people with a blood alcohol level of 0.5% the driving limit Click – Up to 300 crashes in the UK are from someone falling asleep behind the wheelThat’s 20% of all UK crashes40% of sleep related crashes are commercial vehiclesPeak times for sleep related crashes are early morning and just after lunchAlmost every sleep related crash ends in a fatality
Paul Lyon lived in a flat underneath Heather DyerOn 23 July 2011He complained about the noise coming from the flat above him Heather had been given a eviction noticeHe rang the police at 1:45am about the noise they told him to contact the landlordNo police attended to stop the noiseAs she was leaving her flat with seven of her friends he confronted her He then proceeded to stab her with a fish filet knife 3 times He was convicted of Manslaughter and unlawful wounding in Liverpool Crown CourtSome people say being sleep deprived can almost blur the lines between reality and dreamsBeing heavily sleep deprived can make you more angry than you normally areIt can also disengage you from your morals and you forget what's good and what’s badGood example of what noise neighbours can do to a person because of the lack of control
I have to use them every night to be able to sleep otherwise my neighbors keep me upPeople use ear plugs for noisy neighbors, building sites and concertsEar Plugs are used for blocking out noise or reducing the noise level some ear plugs can reduce noise up to 35db but lack to dampen any low end noiseAs our ears are quite delicate there are some dangers from using themYou can push it in to far compacting your earwax witch causes it to stop protecting the ear drum leaving it prone to damageAnother problem is air pressure because it’s a tight seal and you are lying on your ear air pressure builds and can damage the eardrumEach problem with ear plugs all comes down to a loss of hearing
Sleeping pills do a good job of nocking you outSome people use them to get to sleep when they have noise neighborsIn 2010 2.8 million sleeping pills were used in EnglandBritish Medical journal found, anyone taking sleeping pills as little as 2 a month is 4 times more likely to die within the next 2 and a half years than someone that isn’t taking themPeople taking more than 132 a year have a 35% chance of getting cancer over someone that doesn't take themPeople get addicted and rely in them to sleepIts artificial sleepCommon effects are dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and memory loss all apparent in sleep deprivationPuts you into a deep sleep. Might not wake up to fires alarms, earthquakes or other impending dangerLeave you feeling groggy and out of it through out the day
Low frequency noise is the most irritatingIt isn't just loudIt goes through the walls of the entire houseIf loud enough you can actually feel itIn an article about the effect of low frequency noise they say that it can cause character change and change of personality
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils are obliged to take reasonable steps to investigate complaints of nuisance noise.In considering whether a nuisance is taking place, the council will consider (1) the nature and location of the noise, (2) the time and duration of the noise and (3) whether the activity creating the noise has any value.There is no level of volume, which must be met for a noisy neighbor’s behavior to be considered a nuisance. The standard is subjective and the assessment made by the local authority will be subject to the individual assessor.
Allot of people complaining about laminate flooringAll saying is there any laws on laminate flooringNot only people in flats complaining people in attached houses complaining
Stop late night noisy neighbours with real actionPlease give Police necessary powers to remove music systems from noisy properties on the same night a complaint is made.No Laminate FlooringThis government should pass a law that any upstairs flat MUST be carpeted - absolutely no exceptions.Dealing With Abusive TenantsEven when the local authorities have enough evidence to prosecute for breaches of abatement notices they often feel they need far more evidenceI hereby ask that our members of parliament discuss ways in which they can make it easier for problem tenants to be dealt with.
If you feel safe enough to do so, try to make personal contact. Many times you will find that your neighbours had no idea they were causing a nuisance.If you prefer to keep a distance, use an anonymous letter or note. Be amiable, and try to let your neighbour see things from your perspective.Collect evidence. If your efforts at informing your neighbours that they are causing a nuisance are unsuccessful, you will benefit from having a diary of their noisy behaviour when you contact the authorities.Be safe. When in doubt, do not engage your noisy neighbours – if you fear that they might escalate the situation into something beyond just noise making.
Interview VictimsInterview CulpritsPut the culprit in the victims shoesDo intense tests on people and the effects of noise and no sleepResearch into how noise neighbors effect people and there bodiesAsk people on the street if they have noise neighborsInterview LandlordsTalk to parliamentMake a petitionSound proofing standard all flats need to meet
A website so people can go and find support and advice.A place to ventAdviseYour RightsForumDownloadable letter templateDisturbance Diary SheetTwitter & Facebook to accompany it
