Episode 10 Noise Squad

'All over the UK, millions of people just like you and me

'are being driven up the wall by anti-social nuisance noise.'

At times, you almost feel like you are going mad.

It's making me feel I don't seem to have much right as a human being.

'Persistent parties...

'aggravating alarms...

'and banging builders.

'They're keeping us awake, disturbing our peace and quiet,

'and driving us to despair.'

It really is stressful and irritating.

It's just a nightmare.

'But the fight back is on.'

You need to speak to us. We're getting complaints from your neighbours about the noise.

'Across the country, dedicated enforcement teams are getting to grips with nuisance noise, 24/7.'

People have a misconception that they can make noise during the day.

People don't feel that they can go and speak to their neighbours.

'Enough is enough. It's time to put an end to nuisance noise.'

If they decide to stick two fingers up at the council and carry on,

well, then we'll throw the book at them.

'It's time to meet the no-nonsense Noise Squad.'

'Coming up today on Noise Squad.

'Tensions rise when officers go on busker patrol.'

I'm causing no nuisance. You're being a pain in the backside. You're not listening to reasoning.

'The team gatecrash a noisy birthday party

'and lay down the law of the land.'

We've had two other complaints from two other flats, right?

You're going to have to just knock the tunes on the head.

'And there's a visit to investigate someone who's allegedly running a joinery business from his garage.'

The complaint that I've received is about you doing some sort of woodwork.

'For visitors to big cities, scenes like this

'and sounds like this

'can be an entertaining way to spend five or ten minutes

'whilst you're doing some sightseeing.

'But for those who live and work in major cities,

'the noise produced by buskers isn't always so welcome.'

It's very annoying, to be honest. Very, very annoying.

Busking isn't so bad if they're not there for so long.

And if the music's OK it's not too bad,

but it can become a distraction after a while.

'Busking isn't illegal in London, and in Westminster, buskers don't need a licence to perform,

'except in Covent Garden and the Underground.

'If they're making a bit of a racket, though, the council's noise squad

'have the powers to step in at any time of day.

'Today, Steve Pennington, who's worked for the council for six years,

'is heading out on proactive patrol.'

We're just off to Leicester Square to meet up with the police and some wardens

and have a walk round and just check for noisy buskers.

'Steve's heading out to check on buskers who've been spoken to in the past.'

Quite a number were warned about a month ago

and were issued with notices, with warnings.

We're not that draconian that it's an immediate offence, they do get a proper warning first,

and, obviously, if they decide to stick two fingers up at the council and carry on,

well, then we'll throw the book at them.

'Although he's out on a proactive patrol to check on buskers who've been warned in the past,

'a complaint has come in and Steve has to deal with it.'

I'm just heading down to Villiers Street where a report of a busker's come in, disturbing some offices.

And it's still office time, still before five o'clock,

so we'll have a look down and see what we can see.

'As Steve arrives, he doesn't need any help finding the melody makers.

MUSIC: "Help!" by The Beatles

'They're bashing out Beatles songs.

'They certainly look the part, and they're not bad, are they?'

# Won't you please, please help me...? #

'The microphones and speakers mean that the tunes they're trotting out will be louder than usual,

'and that could be causing a nuisance for people working nearby.'

I'll do a quick assessment from the offices to make sure that it is a nuisance

and we'll take it from there.

'Steve heads upstairs to speak to someone in the office who's complained.'

My colleague next door opens one for ventilation,

and as you can see there's two sort of things, so when he opens it, it's even louder.

Of course, they've stopped singing now.

Have they? They're still playing.

Yeah. They'll start building up, I mean, cos they do a mixture

of The Beatles, Oasis, the Monkees, and it depends...

SHE LAUGHS

-..which tunes you get.

-Oh, wow. Yeah, I see.

'This lady might be a bit camera shy, but she's seriously fed up.

'Steve, though, has to be even handed,

'and will only take action if he thinks there's a nuisance being caused.'

So, if it was, you know, once in a blue moon,

it wouldn't be such an issue.

But because... I mean, I think this is the third time they've come this week.

-We all have to concentrate and it is distracting.

-Absolutely.

And they are being quiet now, but...

I can't hear it at all, actually. My luck.

No, but that's because they're being quiet.

'From this office, there doesn't seem to be a problem.

'Steve goes through to a colleague's room who has the window open.

'The tunes that he hears might be fine for day trippers,

'but not for folk who have to concentrate and get some work done.'

Yeah, I mean, this isn't outrageous.

It's quite gentle, this particular track, but these offices here,

who are solicitors, if they've got that going on,

the same four or five tracks, all day, allegedly,

since early...mid-morning, and it's now five o'clock,

I can understand that could become a nuisance.

'Steve decides that the music from below could be disruptive to people trying to work,

'so he heads back downstairs.

'Here in Westminster, if an officer witnesses loud noise from a busker,

'he doesn't need to have had a complaint to take action.

'He can serve the busker, with a written notice

'telling him to stop the noise at that site,

'and that usually means the busker will have to shut up, pack up and move on.

'If the notice is ignored, the busker runs the risk

'of having his equipment confiscated,

'and getting a fine of up to £5,000.

'Best of British or not,

'Steve lays down the law and tells the pair

'that they can't stay in the same spot for more than half an hour.'

Guys. Steve from the council.

I've had a good listen, OK, it's not outrageous, all right,

but, you've been here all day, yeah? I think that's what the problem is.

We do a good job, as you can see, and we do generate a good crowd, a good environment for London.

You know, it's...

It's kind of a tourist attraction, all these tourists taking photographs.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-The Beatles, it's British culture.

'Sometimes Steve and his colleagues have to ruffle a few feathers

'to keep the peace and quiet.'

Most buskers, not all, have pretty much done their whole repertoire in 10, 15, 20 minutes,

and then it's just a repeat of the same thing over and over again.

All right. Well, I'll take your details.

What's your names?

'Steve serves a formal written notice.

'Ignoring it could lead to a prosecution and a fine of up to £5000.

'This pair, though, claim that's not a problem,

'as they have earned plenty of pennies down this lane.'

As long as you make sure that what you're doing isn't causing a problem, then...

You can take the five grand now, if you want!

'The lads have been co-operative and accept the notice with good humour.'

Shake your hand? Can you hand it over to me? You do it, then.

I'd like to present you with this notice.

It's too loud!

Shhh.

People need to work.

'Steve's happy that this situation is sorted and he lets the buskers be.'

I've explained to them that it wasn't particularly the level of the music,

I mean, the three or four minutes of music that I've heard was actually quite good and quite reasonable.

However, listening to the same music over and over again, for the offices

that are literally 15, 20 metres away, is too much.

'For their part, the music makers understand

'that their tribute to the loved Liverpudlians is not enjoyed by everyone.'

I can understand where they're coming from.

It probably disturbs people here and there.

On the other hand, we're also giving a free performance of entertainment

for just anybody, and we make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy.

It's British culture, especially for tourists.

It's an institution.

They're going, "Look, it's The Beatles." That's part of Britain.

Whatever happened to peace and love, eh?

'They might not have many fans in the nearby offices, but they do have one or two groupies.'

I enjoy the music, I enjoy the person.

He is, er...similar The Beatles.

'Steve's warning did the trick.

'To date, no further complaints have been received about these buskers,

'and no further action has been necessary.

'If there's one type of nuisance noise that produces more complaints than anything else,

'it's noisy neighbours that just won't pipe down.'

Some people have got animals they can't control, young children.

They just don't have any respect, or think of other people.

You know, ten people, even five people,

can make so much noise when they get a little bit drunk

and it all gets out of hand.

'Loud DIY and barking dogs can be a real problem,

'but by far the biggest cause of complaint are loud parties.'

-Can you get me somebody who lives here?

-I live here.

Go and turn the music down, then come back and talk to me.

'Like many noise teams around the country,

'the Belfast noise squad are used to dealing with rowdy revellers

'who are making too much noise and keeping their neighbours awake.'

I'm getting complaints from your neighbours about the level of noise from your property.

That music is far too loud.

You need to turn it off, or turn it right down.

All you need to do is keep the door closed and the music down.

If you keep it inside the house, you know, it'll not be an issue.

'Tonight, noise officers Steve and Tim, who've got 15 years' experience between them,

'are on the night shift.'

Everybody's got home after a long week at work,

thought, "Ah, nice weather, barbecue, back garden, loud music on."

'It's just after nine, and they've received a complaint about a noisy party.'

We're heading to a complaint about loud music, rave music.

Where is the music coming from, there?

Yeah, it must be one of the two.

We'll go and talk to them, but it's unlikely they'll listen to us, this time of night.

'Having assessed if there's a problem, they knock on the noise maker's door.'

HE KNOCKS ON WINDOW

-How're you doing? We're from Belfast City Council noise service.

-Hiya.

We're having some complaints about the noise from your property.

'The lady says that she didn't think noise was a problem until 11 at night.

'Steve sets her straight.'

It's fairly loud, so it is, so if you'll just close the windows and doors and keep it down, OK?

If we have to come back later on, you could be looking at a warning notice and a £100 fine.

With that at the level of noise we heard there now.

'Despite Steve's warning, the lady argues her case.'

After 11 o'clock you can get fined.

Before 11, we'll just come and have a chat with you. OK?

This the first time we've come to your property.

It is the first time you've came here, like.

Good night.

'The doors and windows get shut. Not too delicately.

'If you're being disturbed by noisy neighbours,

'the first thing to do to try and resolve it is to speak calmly with them.

'If that's not possible, keep a record of the time and type of noise that's bothering you

'so that when you call your local council for help,

'you can give them as much useful information as possible.

'And remember - DON'T call 999 about a noise nuisance,

'get in touch with your local council.'

People have a misconception that they can make as much noise as they want during the day.

The council can take action on loud noise disturbance day or night,

we've stronger powers after 11 o'clock.

But, you know, if there's really loud music on during the day,

the council can still take action on it.

'Time will tell if Steve and Tim's verbal warning will keep this noisy neighbour quiet,

'but for now they're on their way to a rowdy party.

'First, they go to see the person that has called to complain.'

There seems to be an element of party makers.

You know, the music's not pumping, it's really just them out on the balcony is the main problem.

What we've got to look at is how unreasonable they're being and how poor the sound insulation is.

We'll probably go down and have a wee chat with them,

but if it goes back up again loud, after we leave,

we can come back and serve a written warning, threaten a £100 fine.

But at the minute it's not loud enough for that.

'Different councils deal with nuisance noise slightly differently.

'But in order to take action, all officers must witness a problem first hand.

'Here in Belfast, before 11 o'clock,

'officers usually give verbal warnings.

'After this time, they can serve a more formal warning notice.

'If this is ignored, they can hand out a £100 fine.

'Should the problem still persist,

'then the noise maker risks being prosecuted in the Magistrate's Court

'and in extreme cases fined up to £5,000.

'In this case the noise isn't loud enough for a warning notice,

'but Tim and Steve have decided it does warrant them having a word.'

Hi, we're from the council's noise service. Can I speak to somebody who lives here?

I live here.

Right. Getting complaints from the neighbours about the level of noise.

SPEECH INAUDIBLE

DOOR BANGS

INAUDIBLE SPEECH

'This guy says he's having a birthday bash,

'but that's no excuse for making nuisance noise.'

Because it's flats, it travels straight through,

and everybody out on the balcony shouting, so if you can try and keep them in off the balcony.

We're trying to be reasonable with you, we understand it's a Friday night,

so we're saying, just calm it down, turn the music down a bit.

'The birthday boy is arguing his case

'and says he doesn't complain about other people when they make a noise.'

But it's people's prerogative to complain.

Can you turn the bass way down, and overall volume down a bit? It's still too loud.

'He asks if turning the volume down would solve the problem.'

Well, it depends whether you're shouting and singing along to it.

'This fellow is arguing his case, but Tim's clear -

'if things get any louder, there could be a problem.

'With ten years' experience on the job,

'he's worried that this situation is going to get worse before it gets better.'

He was actually all right, but it's his birthday party,

and I don't think he's going to, you know...

I'm not sure he's going to listen.

'Tim's instincts were right. Just as they're leaving,

'someone cranks the music up and the lads return inside.'

The way the apartments are, we have to park out the front

and the noise makers can see us from their balcony.

So they had the music on when we went back out to the car.

And now they've seen us come back in, they've turned it off again.

I'm hearing some music and voices.

We'll call on the complainant again?

Yeah.

'This is turning into a game of cat and mouse.

'Tim and Steve are a patient pair, though.

'They head back to the neighbour's flat to listen to the noise levels there.'

It's all calm, but I think it's because they seen us coming back in.

So, I think we'll leave it for now.

It may well go back up again when they see us leave, but I think they've seen us come back in.

So if we go away and do a couple of calls, and if it does come back up again and you want us back,

we'll come back and try and drive in, maybe that'll be less conspicuous.

'As it's all gone quiet, there's nothing Tim and Steve can do for now, and they head off.

'That's not the end of this noisy story, though.

'We'll be back with the lads later as they return to this block of flats for a third time.

'And this time, they catch the noise maker in the act.'

We've had two complaints from other flats, all right?

You'll have to knock the tunes on the head.

'For people who live and work in London,

'loud and repetitive busking can be a nuisance.'

# Won't you please, please help me? #

'Busking, though, isn't illegal.

'Westminster Council's noise squad only take action

'by serving a notice that legally obliges buskers to quieten down

'or face the possibility of prosecution

'and having their equipment confiscated when it's necessary.'

We don't serve notices on everybody, only those that are likely to be causing a nuisance,

or the ones that are, in fact, causing a nuisance.

We live and let live as much as we can in Westminster,

it's just a case of controlling the noise as best we can, in a way,

and where we can as well.

'Mike Peters has worked for the noise squad for 20 years,

'and today he's out and about on a proactive busker patrol.'

See who's causing the problem, give him a little bit of a warning, if not a notice.

'As he walks through Piccadilly Circus,

'he comes across a band with amplifiers, boosting their noise level,

'which he thinks has the potential to be causing people a bit of earache.'

Right, you can see the band over the far side of the square, there.

What I'll do is go into some of these shops,

see if you can actually hear them,

and then we'll serve a notice on them as it's likely to be a nuisance in the future.

'Mike's instincts are spot on.

'A nearby restaurant manager,

'whose business has live music that he says has to compete with buskers outside almost every day,

'is fed up.'

They play it too loud. Especially on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday

we got, I mean, the music live in here

and they're really affecting our business.

Cos you've got two music playing at the same time

and it's quite disturbing.

It's very annoying, to be honest.

Too loud. It's too loud.

'Although the restaurant manager says that buskers here are a problem,

'Mike and his colleagues haven't received a direct complaint about this band.

'They're in an area surrounded by businesses and homes though,

'so Mike's going to take action.'

Well, I've been into the restaurant here, and you can certainly hear it inside.

It's likely to be a nuisance if it's a bit louder,

so I think what we'll do is serve a notice on them.

'Noise officers have to witness nuisance noise first hand to do something about it.

'But it doesn't need to have been complained about.

'Mike's serving a noise abatement notice to try and head off any problems before they arise.

'The notice means the buskers will have to turn the music down

'and it limits the amount of time and how often they can play here.

'If they breach it, they could be prosecuted,

'have their instruments confiscated

'and be fined.

'Once again, Mike's instincts are bang on the money.

'Just as he's about to serve a notice on the buskers for being a likely nuisance in the future,

'there's been a complaint from a disgruntled worker

'who's fed up with the noise.'

There's now a job on the system from someone who's working round here,

about this band.

It just so happens that we're here, which is a coincidence.

'Having witnessed the noise, and with a complaint on the system, Mike moves in.'

I'm from the noise team.

Your busking here is too loud.

-OK.

-You can clearly hear it in people's commercial premises.

-OK.

-We've had a complaint as well.

'He explains that he's serving a notice.

'Because although they've drawn a crowd, their performance isn't being enjoyed by everyone.'

So I'm going to serve a notice on you.

OK, what's that going to entail?

What it means is, if you come back here and you play the music

at a level that's a nuisance, then you can personally be prosecuted.

-OK.

-And I'll serve one on each of you chaps as well

and then it'll cover you all.

A correct name and address will be helpful... OK.

..as we've got the police here as well.

'Mike might have stopped the band playing,

'but not everyone is fed up of hearing them.

'Some folk obviously think they were quite good.'

What's the remit of this notice?

You could be fined up to 5,000 quid, or, more importantly,

we can take your equipment away, too.

-Right. Be a shame, wouldn't it?

-It'd be a shame for you.

-It would be a dreadful shame for us.

'This chap has been reasonable and co-operative. Mike serves the other two members with their notice,

'and although they understand why they've been served, they think they've got a bit of a bum deal.'

I understand there are places in London, you know, neighbours,

and I understand that they complain,

but it's five o'clock, we're playing in Piccadilly Circus,

there's a lot of traffic here louder than us

and I think we're only entertaining people and making people happy.

It's a great city, city of musicians

and I'm very disappointed.

But we're happy to pack and go.

It's just a shame that someone's always there to poop the party.

'On every case they deal with, noise officers have to be even-handed,

'and Mike has had to weigh up the balance

'of the entertainment these guys are providing,

'against the nuisance that it's causing some who work round here.'

I do have sympathy for buskers because, actually, a lot of them are very good

and they're very original and they're good at what they do.

But the trouble I have, it's OK if you're a tourist

and you're listening to it for 10, 15 minutes and you can move on,

but if you're working around here then you don't get any break from it

and they could be there for hours at a time unless someone complains or we see them.

'To date, there have been no further complaints about these buskers

'and Mike and his colleagues have taken no further action against them.'

'Things might have quietened down here,

'but it's not the end of Mike's busker patrol.'

You told me you're Westminster Council. So what?

'Tensions rise when he confronts a musician in Trafalgar Square.'

You tell me to turn it down and I'll turn it down.

I'm not causing a nuisance.

'In Belfast, Tim and Steve are called back to the raucous birthday party.'

It's annoying three different apartments. It's far too loud, man.

'And in York, the team respond to an allegation that a business

'is being run from a council tenant's home.'

We've had this allegation, wanted to come and see what you're doing.

'York has over 200,000 residents.

'It's a busy city

'and its noise team dealt with 2,500 calls last year.

'Over 1,500 of those were about neighbourly noise

'and that isn't always loud music.'

This is what's making the noise.

I received one when I got home today. CHICKENS CLUCK

'Craig Delorenzo has been with the noise team for over six years.'

It's Craig Delorenzo here from York Council. Are you all right to talk?

'He has a degree in biological sciences,

'a master's degree in environmental health and a diploma in acoustics.

'But one of the biggest qualifications for this job

'is being able to listen and often mediate between disgruntled neighbours.'

We're off to speak with a council tenant

about noise being created by woodwork.

He's doing it in his council property, which can be a breach of his tenancy

as well as causing a noise nuisance.

'It's alleged by the neighbour that the tenant is running a business from his home.

'That would have serious implications for him if he hasn't got permission from the council.'

I'm going on a joint visit with Nicki Simpson from the Council Housing Department.

She's the estate manager for the area,

so she's in charge of the tenants

and their behaviour within council tenancies.

We work closely together on cases like this.

We gather the evidence for them and if they feel it's necessary,

they will evict the tenant for noise nuisance.

As this is the first complaint, I expect that the person may be disappointed

that their neighbours haven't been round to speak to them about the problem themselves.

You know, modern times,

it's a real shame that people don't get to know their neighbours as much as they did in the past,

and it often means that we are the first port of call

when it comes to a problem such as a noise problem.

People don't feel that they can go and speak to their neighbours,

be that because they're intimidated by them,

or just that they don't want to get involved in a dispute with their neighbours.

'Like his colleagues across the UK,

'Craig has to take an even-handed approach to all complaints he deals with.

'So he'll be listening to both sides of the story before deciding what action,

'if any, will be needed in this case.'

I'm just going out to find out exactly what work he is doing in his property,

see if there is anything that we can offer in advice

and find out exactly who he is, what he's doing and why he's doing it.

'Craig and Nicki go in to gather the facts and discuss the complaint.'

Craig Delorenzo from the Environment Protection Unit.

This is Nicki Simpson, she's your estate manager.

We've had a complaint, and we're wondering if we can have a chat with you about it.

Yeah, course you can.

So the complaint that I've received is about you doing some sort of woodwork

for building bird boxes and things like that.

Is that right?

-Well, I do make things for myself, yeah.

-Right. Just for yourself?

-That's it, yeah.

-Right.

Cos the allegation that we've received is that

you're making it for selling them on, or whatever.

-Is that not the case?

-No, it's not, no.

We've just moved in here. I've built everything in the garden.

-Right. Can I have a look in the garden?

-Course you can.

So it's quite a hobby of yours, then, the woodwork?

Yes. I did actually do it for a living.

I had to claim certain benefits because I'm on a low income,

we don't earn a fortune, you know, the council know that I do that.

I do do bits and bobs here, but it's just for myself.

Well, just as we pulled up I could hear you had some sort of wood saw going.

Once in a blue moon I do, but I...

if I do something here, it's about an hour a day.

Just a couple of hours or so then that shouldn't be a problem.

It's when we get complaints... If you were running like a sawmill here,

and it was continuous, day in, day out, that would be an issue.

Or if you were doing it at three in the morning.

I wouldn't do anything before ten o'clock. Because I wouldn't like it myself.

As long as you're doing it for your own benefit and you're not

working from here and doing hours on end it shouldn't be a problem.

'Running a business from home has insurance and health and safety issues.

'It also needs written permission from the council.'

The allegations that we've received is that you are doing a lot here

and it's being transported out.

I checked with Benefits, and they said that, yes, you were self-employed,

which is fine and all above board.

The issue that we've got is if you are doing some of it here

-for your business, then you've got to have permission from us to do that.

-OK.

I do saw stuff here, there's stuff here now that I do take out because it's a lot easier.

We've had this allegation, we wanted to come and see what you're doing, and give you some advice if needed.

What you've told me is perfectly reasonable

and we wouldn't have a problem with that.

'It seems like the tenant is not in breach of any noise laws and is receptive to Craig's advice.'

As long as you're not doing anything wrong, then as far as we're concerned there's no issue.

If we can say you're not going to do it before ten o'clock in the morning,

and the most you're going to do is for three hours of sawing, or hammering or anything,

then, you know, I can't see that being a problem.

-Thank you.

-All right?

-Yeah, that's great, thank you.

That's great. I'll put that in writing to you, to say that we've agreed that

and I'll say that to your neighbour. All right?

-Right, thank you very much.

-No problem.

'This is a complaint that should take care of itself,

'but the noise team and the housing department will keep an eye on it.'

From what I saw today, it looks like he was doing some woodwork for his garden,

so there's more work needed doing now

and that should tail off to nothing in the future.

I think it can be the case that sometimes when a complaint is made to officials like the council,

it can create a neighbour dispute,

whereas it is always better to go and talk to your neighbour about the noise problem.

I'm very happy with the resolution today

and I hope that the complainant is very happy with it, too.

'After this visit, the woodworking tenant agreed to only work for three hours a day.

'Craig confirmed this in writing with him and the complainant

'and made them both aware of the law and the case was closed.'

'In Belfast, Noise Enforcement Officers Tim and Steve are working the nightshift.

'They've been dealing with two noisy neighbours.

'One in a house and the other in a flat.

'In order to take action, they have to witness nuisance noise first-hand

'and so far they haven't heard anything that deserves more than a quiet word.

'It's now midnight and they've had a call to say the music's back on loud

'at the house they visited earlier.'

We're heading back to the complaint we were at earlier on.

We gave a verbal warning at approximately half-nine, I think.

It was a young girl. She turned the music down and closed the windows when we were there earlier on,

but I'm not sure that the message had got through.

Cos we've had... The same complainant's phoned back to say the music's back on

and it's causing a disturbance, so we'll go back out and, if it is on,

she's going to get a warning notice that threatens a £100 spot fine.

'As the lads are heading back to the first party, another call comes in.'

-PHONE RINGS

-Belfast City Council Noise Service.

'It's another complaint about loud noise coming from the flat.

'No surprises there, then.

'Tim and Steve will be heading back to the flat they visited earlier,

'but first they have to deal with the complaint they were originally called to around 9:30.

'As they arrive it's all quiet, and there's a reason for that.'

We phoned for that one, but she's, literally five minutes ago, just been lifted.

'The woman they spoke to earlier has apparently been arrested by the police,

'and according to one of the neighbours,

'loud noise has been an ongoing issue for the people living near her.'

-Has the noise disturbed you on a regular basis?

-Every night. Every single night.

-What type of noise is it?

-Screaming, shouting, music.

You don't mind it during the day, we all like to have a party,

but, no. It's just constant.

It's every single night of the week. Which is not fair...

on the whole of the street.

'Whatever the reason for her being arrested, there's nothing more Tim and Steve can do here.'

We've arrived in the street, the property's actually silent.

We've spoke to one of the complainants and they've told us

that about 20 minutes before we arrived, the police had arrested the occupant of the property

and taken her away, and since then the property's been quiet.

So there's nothing further we can do tonight.

'That's not the case at the second party, where more fed-up neighbours

'have called to complain about a noisy birthday bash.

'If the lads witness nuisance noise, they can serve the party holder with a warning notice.

'This means they have a legal requirement to quieten down.

'If they don't, they could be hit with a £100 fine.

'They make sure they're not seen arriving,

'but when they get to one of the neighbours' flats to see if there's a nuisance being caused,

'it's all gone quiet.'

In order to serve the warning notice, we'd have to witness loud noise again coming from the party.

At the minute it's quietened down.

Your options are we can hang around for a while and if it goes up, we can do something.

But unless we witness a noise level that we can enforce, we have to be impartial.

Plus, you can't go and say turn the music down when there's no music on.

Difficult, you know.

I appreciate that it might come back on in a couple of minutes. Maybe that's them leaving.

'This case has been a bit like the hokey cokey for Tim and Steve.

'They've been in, out, in, out. But they're determined to see it out.

'They decide to wait to see if the music comes back on.

'Their patience pays off.'

That OK, Tim?

Be OK if it was in the bedroom.

'Tim writes out a formal written notice.'

Hopefully the notice will have the desired effect.

And bring it to an end.

'And they head off to talk to the noise maker.'

We've had two other complaints from two other flats, all right?

You're going to have to knock the tunes on the head. All right?

Well, it's annoying three different apartments. That's far too loud, man.

'The birthday boy says he didn't complain about people making a noise last night.'

What we can do is action complaints we're getting. It's far too loud.

What I'd advise you to do is turn the music off,

because you don't seem to be able to turn it down.

Cos we've asked you to turn it down and you haven't turned it down.

I don't want you to get fined on your birthday, mate.

If we get any more complaints, you're getting fined on your birthday.

This is a written warning saying I've been here. If you don't take it, I'll just post it.

BLEEP. BLEEP.

'He won't take the notice and goes to get a friend to talk to Tim and Steve.

'But with so many people being kept awake because of the noise,

'Tim is in no mood to compromise.'

He came into the hallway with three or four mates behind him.

But then when one mate came out,

they closed the door on the other guys.

It seems he'd went to get a more sober friend

so I could explain to him what was actually happening.

It's the guy's birthday. I understand he's having a party

and you don't want to fine someone on their birthday,

but if they don't take your advice then they're going to get fined, even though it is their birthday.

I've tried to talk him out as much as possible.

The notice has been served. If we come back tonight, he's getting a fine.

'It's been a tricky case, but the written warning did the trick.

'There were no further complaints about the party

'and no further action was necessary.'

'In Westminster, Noise Enforcement Officer Mike Peters is on a proactive busker patrol.

'He's in Trafalgar Square, and he's got his eyes and ears on a soloist

'who the council's noise squad have spoken to in the past.'

REGGAE MUSIC

'In order to take action, noise enforcement officers have to witness nuisance noise first-hand.

'But the noise doesn't need to have been complained about.'

The council can serve a notice on people where they consider that there's likely to be a nuisance,

and bearing in mind that this chap is about 30, 40 yards away

from the National Portrait Gallery and he's got an amplifier and it's quite loud,

then I think it could well be likely to be a nuisance.

So we'll take it from there and we'll serve him the notice.

'Mike and his colleagues can take action if they hear something

'that they think is loud enough to be a nuisance in the future.

'It's an attempt to keep the peace and stop people having to complain.

'The notice, though, doesn't ban the busker from ever playing again.'

It's quite pleasant, the music, at the moment. It's a bit of light reggae.

But I can imagine if I was working there for four, five, six hours,

it might get a bit boring and repetitive and annoying.

'Mike goes to talk to the melody maker.'

# Three little birds, yeah Pitch by my doorstep... #

Hello, mate. Westminster Council. Can I have a word?

'He's introduced himself,

'but the musician isn't happy that his set has been interrupted.'

What's wrong with you guys? You've told me enough already.

What have we told you already? Not to play here?

You told me you were Westminster Council. So what?

-Let me tell you why I'm here, then.

-Yeah, why are you here?

You're likely to be causing a nuisance for people working around here.

No, I'm not. I only arrived about half an hour ago.

Yeah, but the level of noise is such that you are likely to be a nuisance to people round here.

You tell me to turn it down, and I'll turn it down. I'm not causing a nuisance.

We've been here before, we've seen you before.

So what?

Well, we're going to take some action this time by serving a notice on you this time.

Why are you going to take up some action on me? For what?

I only come out twice a week, twice a week and play my music.

Mike is being accompanied by a plain-clothes officer to his right

and things are starting to heat up.

I am not causing no nuisance.

-Likely is the word, right?

-Get your action right.

You should go and fine all these people that are killing and bombing people instead of stopping me.

'It's a difficult situation

'but Mike has to take into account the people who work nearby

'and his instincts about what could be a nuisance to people

'have already been proved to be spot on earlier in Piccadilly Circus.

'He's going to serve a notice.'

Can I have your name, sir, please?

'Well, he's going to try.'

What for?

-Cos I want to serve this notice on you, a legal notice.

-What legal notice?

Well, the notice says that you are not permitted to cause a nuisance...

I am not causing no nuisance. Ask the people if I'm causing a nuisance.

'With members of the public starting to heckle Mike, and the musician clearly upset,

'things are getting increasingly difficult,

'but his years of experience have taught him to stay calm.'

I am not causing no nuisance. You are a pain in the backside, you are not listening to reasoning.

Everyone's enjoying the music. What do you mean I'm causing a nuisance?

-I didn't say you were causing a nuisance at the moment.

-You said I'm likely to cause a nuisance.

Look at your face. You're being sarcastic.

This notice doesn't tell you not to play.

-It just means to say that you can't make a nuisance, all right?

-All right.

'The musician now understands that he's not being told he can't play at all,

'just that he can't create a nuisance by playing too loud and too often.

'He becomes a little more composed.'

What this notice will say to you is that you must keep it down in future.

OK. That's cool. No problem.

Right. Otherwise, if we get complaints about it

and we know that it is a nuisance, then you might be prosecuted.

Listen, this is my first day out this week

and if there's been noise during the week, I haven't been here, this is my first day.

If anyone's been causing a nuisance, it's not me.

That's why I'm arguing with you, because I haven't been playing all week.

This is my first day out today.

Well, we've just heard you for five minutes and that's all it takes in Westminster, I'm afraid.

All right, OK, OK.

'It's taken a while, but Mike's got his message through.'

-If my music is low?

-If it's low, then that isn't going to be a problem, is it?

If we get a complaint from someone, then we have to come here and visit their place,

and if we hear you, and it's loud enough, then it will be a nuisance.

Fair enough. Yeah, I understand, man, I understand. Fair enough.

Right, there's that for you, then. Thank you very much.

So how loud can I have my music?

If you think of where you are,

then your music's likely to be causing a problem 30 yards away, isn't it?

Inside there? All right.

-With the volume that it was.

-So if I lower it down.

I would say so, but that's up to you, really.

Yeah, all right.

Right, good, thank you very much.

Yeah, no problem, no problem.

At least you're letting me play, that's cool, that's cool.

-All right, I'll keep it down, I'll keep it down. I promise.

-Bye-bye.

'The notice is served.

'The situation calms down, and the busker asks his audience to move in a bit closer.'

I can't play my music too loud for them over there because if I do, I'll get in trouble.

So if they come a bit more near and listen then they can hear the music. Have to play low, now.

Well, that was an interesting one.

I think he saw the logic in the end, but...

he was a bit obstreperous to start with.

But anyway, a lot of people are when they think that something's going to happen to them drastic, on the spot.

But he calmed down a bit. Best of friends, now, we are.

'I wouldn't hold your breath for a Christmas card, Mike.

'The notice has been served, though, and so far the Westminster noise squad have had no complaints

'about this busker and no further action has been taken against him.

'It's been a busy shift for the noise squad.

'We've seen them confront rowdy revellers...'

It's far too loud.

'..deal with a neighbourly dispute...'

If it was continuous, day in day out, that would be an issue.

'..and tackle buskers.'

We can take your equipment away.

-Be a shame, wouldn't it?

-Well, it would be a shame for you.

'There's no let up in the battle against anti-social nuisance noise, though

'and plenty more cases still to be dealt with by the Noise Squad.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]