noisy neighbours

[bluebirdino]

i dont know if i am posting in the right topic but i need some advice
i have an large family living next door , i think its eight but cant be sure
the problem is the children , they get in from school the same time i get in from work at about 3pm . from the time they come home until about 8pm
you can hear them running around the house , up and down the stairs
banging and slamming doors and shouting at one another . summer is worse
as the have a trampoline in back garden and the noise is even worse . im not trying to stop them playing , but i just want them to keep the noise down . the parents do not speak english and the kids take no notice of me . i have tried the council , environmental health etc but to no avail they will do nothing where childen are involved , after four years im at the end of my tether , can anyone offer any advice . thanks , bb.

[Khandro]

Sympathy is all I can offer; 4 years is too long to suffer, I can't see how any agency is going to keep six kids quiet if the parents can't. You may have to consider moving away.

[may1day]

I have the same problem with mine, I have to turn the volume up on my TV so that I can hear it. They complained to council about the noise level from my TV and I had a stinking letter but your right children can make as much noise as they like, I cant even have my TV volume high enough to a level that I can hear it. They had a trampoline for Christmas so God help me in the summer.

[antpdeana]

Noise problems, are dealt with by enviromental health department of your local council, you say you have contacted them, and they won't do anything because children are involved, you must keep badgering them to do something, you must insist that they investigate the noise problem, there are clear guide lines on noise levels, keep making complaints to them, if that does not work, then approach your local councillor for help, or even your MP.
If this is affecting your health, go to your doctor, see if your doctor will approach the council on your behalf, if this affecting your health, also go and see a solicitor, many solicitors give an half hour free consultation, to see if a letter can be sent to your neighbours.
I suggest you keep records of all phone calls made to various departments, person you spoke to, time and date, keep copies of all letters, e-mails etc.,
you must badger and annoy the various departments to get this problem sorted, no one will do it for you.
But first try discussing the problems with your neighbours, in a friendly manner, no good going in all guns blazing, I appreciate they do not speak english, so how about trying to find a neighbour or friend that speaks their language and your language who would be prepared to translate for you, failing that, you can always hire a translator.

[rowanwitch]

Unfortunately there is the concept of reasonable noise... a family with six kids who need to play and if it is only until 8pm that may well be seen as reasonable. We had neighbours with kids who all summer long had cousins and friends in to play.. trampoline, table tennis table and a bouncy castle almost every weekend until nearly 10 at night but many complained and were told it was not unreasonable for children to make noise. the only thing that was stopped was them playing music out in the garden as that was considered uneccessary to the childrens activities.

[bluebirdino]

thanks for replies . some good advice there antpdeana , but honestly trying to get any help is useless, every time i phone one department they just pass me on to someone else . the council wont touch it because neither of us are council houses . i didnt mention in my original post ,but im sure the kids are there unattended most of the time , i havent seen the mother for months and the father is only around now and then, although i think he comes home at night. if i dont get this sorted , and neither one of us moves house i could have another 10 years of this !! ill just have to keep trying . thanks again , bb.

[lcg]

you don't have to be in a council house to complain about noise! keep a log of all noise amnd phone the environmental health department each time in the evening if the noise continues. they have a duty of care to you and cannot just say 'never mind' or 'it's not our job' because it is. if that fails...wait until the kids are in bed and quiet and begin making a racket of your own until you ake the whole house up (speakers next to the wall etc.). when they complain to you, tell them you'll stop when they get their kids to shut the f*ck up. end of. or, if theyre in the garden, spray the little fu**ers with your hose and tell them to shut up. after a while of their own treatment, people tend to get the message.

[antpdeana]

The fact that neither of you are in council houses has no bearing on the problem, it is the enviromental health department of the council you should deal with, if you get no joy on the phone then go there in person, and don't leave until you get to speak to someone, I don't suggest you do as lcg76 says, because you will be the one that gets prosecuted for noise, and by putting a hose on the children, this could be construed as a Common Assualt or even ABH Sec 47 assault, depending on the level of any injuries or distress they endure, try speaking with your MP, it's surprising how quickly things get done, when an MP gets involved.

[welshlibranr]

you need to keep on to Environmental Health!...........call them every day until they come and witness the noise levels you are experiencing!......that's the only way!.........

[Khandro]

For heavens sake don't go down the retaliation route as has been suggested or it will be you in the dock, rowanwitch is right, authorities will fob you off by sending you away to keep logs and charts and really anything but deal with your problem. Life is too short; think the unthinkable before it damages your health. It's terribly unfair I know, but if it was me, I'd seriously consider getting out.

[Smowball]

Have you spoken to the neighbour the other side of them??

[bluebirdino]

thanks again for replies . khandro if i could afford to move house i would, if i win the lottery i will donate my house rent free to a bunch of heavy metal fans ! my next door neighbour but one feels aggreived as well smowball , but she works different hours than me , and hers is not the house adjoined . i think the mp idea is worth pursuing.

[Khandro]

If a move is out of the question, and nobody will take any notice of you, the only other thing left is to try to reduce the in-house noise yourself. I don't know the house layout but can you consider sound insulation in the worst affected room/s, by that I mean cladding the wall/s ?

[Khandro]

you could look here, there are others as well;
http://www.noisestopsystems.co.uk/

[tonywiltshire]

As Khandro says more sympathy than advice that will be effective, noise is one of the factors that can ruin lives and little can be done if children are the cause. Local Authorities have extensive powers to deal with noise nuisance but may not be helpful where children are concerned; the only real solution is a conciliatory approach to the neighbours.