New guidance in response to 'rising tide' of complaints about pub noise

The smoking ban has meant that many pub customers are going outside to enjoy a cigarette. Local residents are increasingly complaining about noise which had previously been kept indoors.

Pubs are bracing themselves for a fresh crackdown on noise levels emanating from people smoking outside after councils were issued new guidance on how to deal with noise complaints. Environmental health experts have now issued new guidance to councils in a bid to crackdown on noise complaints from smoking shelters and beer gardens.

Since the smoking ban was introduced a year ago, there has been a "rising tide" of noise complaints, according to the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services ( Lacors). For example Brighton and Hove City council has seen complaints rise from one to 60 in a year while most councils are now reporting complaints in double figures.

The new guidance, produced by LACORS and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, sets out the powers available to councils to deal with the problem of nuisance noise and the different options they could consider when investigating residents’ complaints. Instead of using statutory nuisance powers, which it claims is not always effective, the guidance suggests using the Noise Act 1996, under which licensees can be given an on the spot £500 fine and could also be prosecuted and fined up to £20,000 if they fail to comply after a warning.

Lacors also suggests using the Licensing Act to deal with premises. It suggests imposing licensing conditions such as door supervisors or barring re-entry after a certain time.

For more on this from Lacors click here