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Is noise driving you mad?


Summertime, and for some the   noise is disturbing someone.   seem to treasure their right to peace
livin ' is far from easy.Environmental psychoiogist Drand quiet with strict by-laws against
Neighbours open their windowsJonathan Sime says : 'Many peoplenoisy lawnmowers and do-it-yourself
and share their musical tastessee their home as a private place andon a Sunday.
with the world or hold noisy outdoorwant to [id:73408]. If noise travels overWhen you feel that you have a real
parties, while thumping drilIs andtheir boundaries it causes annoyancecomplaint, the law is [id:73410]. Part
roaring lorries heraid the arrival ofwhich can lead to stress. Noise/soundof the problem is pinning down a
summer roadworks. It's enough tofrom neighbours is probably the mostnoise complaint, because there is no
drive normally quiet, law-abidingstressful because you can identify thefixed level of noise which makes it a
citizens mad. One South Londonsource, and get annoyed withlegally defined nuisance. Most people
market trader shot a fellow stallholder call the police when they have a
after seven months ofproblem with domestic noise , but the
reIentiess disco music.police cannot do anything about it.
But what is it about noise th atSurprisingly few people contact
triggers such extreme reactions?their local environmental health
Have we, as a nation, simply becomeofficer, who [id:73411] to give an
[id:73405] each other, including otherofficial warning to your neighbor
people's noise? According to a recentsaying how the noise must be
survey, one in three people said theirreduced. Nearly all complaints are
home life was being spoilt by noisedealt with informally but, if not, the
from traffic, neighbours, aircraft andlocal authority can take the offender
tra ins. Over 84,000 people made ato court where they can be fined up
formal complaint about noise betweento 5,000. Most cases that get to court
1991-92, but in weil over halfresult in a conviction. (In one recent
of these the complaint was not upheld.case a lady in Cleveland was fined
'Noises are often not as loud as500 for playing Dolly Parton records
the householder thinks,' says Johnfor up to 11 hours a day)
Jackson, Environmental HealthBut for most of us, complaining
Officer at Milton Keynes. Also, manyisn't something we're very good at. It
complaints are to do with differencesisn't very British to make a fuss.
in [id:73406] rather than volume.'There's a great prejudice against
This is at the centre of the issue ofsomeone in particular - unlike withpeople who complain that they are
noise pollution. What irritates onetraffic.'neurotics or killjoys,' says David
pers on may be tolerabie to another.It does seem as if we British maySimons, Chairman of the Right to
Officially, over half of us are living inbe rather more [id:73409] noise thanPeace and Quiet Campaign. Seventy
homes th at expose us to daytimeour European neighbors. Manyper cent of people who are troubled
noise levels in excess of World Healthcountries don 't have environmentalby neighbors' noise [id:73412]. 'Nobody
Organisation recommendationshealth officers to follow upwould like to be told what to do
- 55dB - which is quieter than thecomplaints or even laws coveringin their own home .
sound of a phone rin ging two metresenvironmental health standards. TheAll in all , we have forgotten how
away. Clearly most of us find thisfurther south in Europe you go theto be good neighbors. We live in a
[id:73407], or local authorities wouldlaxer the controls are (perhapsvery [id:73413] society.'
be overwhelmed with complaints.because more time is spent
There must be other reasons whyoutdoors). However, the Germans

'Good Housekeeping', August 1994