Episode 13 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.

A living nightmare. It's like I don't want to be there any more.

Persistent parties...

aggravating alarms...

and banging builders...

They're keeping us awake, disturbing our peace and quiet, and driving us to despair.

You know, you can avert your eyes from things, but you can't shut your ears off.

But the fight-back is on.

Come down and speak to us, we're getting complaints about the noise.

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

Hello! Why is the building work going on on a Sunday?

If you're here and have a notice, we could prosecute you.

If we catch you working and drilling and things, we will prosecute you.

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

It would definitely cause a noise nuisance to anyone in this room.

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

The Noise Squad have their work cut out for them today,

as a complainant is tearing his hair out because of his neighbour's loud music.

When you wake me up in the middle of the night at three o'clock, that's when I get in your face.

Officers are armed with a noise meter to try and catch a noisy dog in the act.

I'll calibrate it and then I'll take a measurement with the dog barking.

And they have a quiet word with a resident whose loud music is blaring into the street.

LOUD MUSIC

Keep the music in - I don't mind you having it on inside.

For most of us, Sunday is a day of rest.

A time to unwind, relax and recharge the batteries.

The last things any of us want to hear are loud music...

MUSIC BLARES

..faulty alarms...

ALARM WHINES

..or noisy builders...

LOUD DRILLING

In Westminster, the Noise Squad are on call 24 hours a day,

365 days a year, including Christmas Day.

Kevin has worked for the council's Noise Team for one year

and today he's battling his way through busy traffic to investigate

a complaint about some builders who are allegedly making a right racket.

Right now, I'm off to a jeweller's on Marylebone High Street.

We received a complaint earlier that builders are working there today.

It's illegal to carry out noisy, heavy building work on a Sunday without prior permission,

and when Kevin arrives on site, it's clear that there's a problem.

KNOCKING

Hello?

Why is the building work going on on Sunday?

Why is it going on? We were told we could work on a Sunday.

Who told you that?

Our boss, basically.

OK. I need to speak to your boss now and tell him you cannot work on a Sunday.

We've got a complaint, that's why I came.

Different councils across the UK take a slightly different approach

to nuisance noise, but in order to take action, all officers have to witness it first-hand.

Here in Westminster, if officers catch builders in the act,

they can serve them with a warning notice,

which gives the builders a legal obligation to quieten down.

If they don't, they can be taken to court and fined up to £5,000.

Having spoken to the workmen on site, Kevin's now giving the builders' boss a call

to ask him what's going on.

I expect you know this, but we do not allow building works on Sunday.

The noise could be heard outside the south boundary.

Your men are working here, they are using a sanding machine.

I have asked for work to stop and what I'm going to do is,

I'm going to serve a Control of Pollution Act notice,

which clearly stipulates the hours that you are allowed to work.

And going forward, if this notice is breached,

it will lead to prosecution,

and a maximum fine, if found guilty

at a magistrate's court, is £5,000.

I'll pass the phone to him now.

Yeah, I'm going to serve a notice.

Kevin's been clear.

If he or his colleagues witness any more noisy work outside the permitted hours,

then the contractor could be looking at a date in the magistrate's court.

OK. If you make sure you pass this to him,

you yourself can read it carefully, it tells you the hours I just told you

and when you cannot work. OK. You take care now.

Notice served, it's on to the next job.

If you've got a problem with nuisance noise, you don't have to suffer in silence.

Don't call 999, though - your local council can help,

so pick up the phone and get in touch.

Kevin's now on his way to see someone who claims their neighbours are playing music far too loudly.

Last time I called, the customer said the music was still playing loudly,

and if we need to take...

any formal action,

in addition to getting the neighbour to lower the music.

Due to the number of complaints Kevin's dealing with today,

and the Westminster traffic, it's been just over two hours since the complainant called in.

When he arrives, Kevin heads straight to the flat, but the music's been turned off.

The man who called in to complain, though, is keen to get things off his chest.

Well, I went over at about ten o'clock and I told them,

"Look, I know it's daytime, but I can feel it in my walls, I can feel your music in my walls."

And he said, "You're not trying to sleep are you? You're awake."

And I said, "Yes, I'm awake, but I...there are limits. This is unbearable."

Then he said, "OK, I'll turn it down a bit."

And then by eleven o'clock, it was right back up, and that's when we said,

"Shall we do something?" That's when I put the call through.

So it takes about two hours, two and a half hours, for you to actually physically get here?

Sometimes it does.

It's always more tempting when there's a really loud noise,

and I can feel it in my walls, even in the living room,

it's tempting to walk over and go..."Excuse me, please."

Sometimes, like today, they were just impossible to deal with.

I want to be able to reason with them and say,

"Look, I don't care what you do in your private lives,

"I'm willing to mind my own business.

"But when you wake me up in the middle of the night, at three o'clock,

"that's when I have to get in your face."

Yeah.

In order to take action, Kevin has to witness nuisance noise first-hand,

and as the music's been turned off, there's nothing he can do here.

On this occasion, sorry, there isn't much I can do here.

Yeah, if you'd gotten here before two o'clock, then...

I wish I had. But there you go. Like I said, call this number any time. OK?

-Thank you very much for your help.

-Nice meeting you.

It's frustrating for all concerned, but to date, there have been no further complaints

about the alleged noisy flat.

The same isn't true of the builders Kevin visited earlier in the day, though.

There was another complaint about them, and a week later,

his colleague, Anuja, is on her way to pay them a visit.

The owners of business have to understand there are residents

who need some peace and quiet as they put up with it all week long.

As carrying out any building work on a Sunday is illegal,

unless you have prior permission,

as soon as Anuja arrives at the jewellery shop, she wants a word with the gaffer.

Are you in charge?

No.

Is there someone in charge? I'm from Westminster Council.

-He's gone maybe outside.

-OK.

-Back in maybe half an hour.

Half an hour? Can you ring him and tell him I'm from the council and I'd like to speak to him?

Having been given the builder's boss's number,

Anuja wastes no time calling him to get him straight on site for a word.

Are you near by?

Yes, I'll wait outside for you, then. Thank you, bye-bye. ..He's coming.

As soon as the foreman arrives, Anuja cuts to the chase.

We're getting complaints about the noise.

It's a site clearance - there's no noisy work as such.

Ooh, I disagree with you.

As there's been a complaint, Anuja isn't convinced that the builders,

who are here in full force, are just cleaning up.

This was set up yesterday. The boys are using the hammer, yes, but no work's being done.

-I'm sorry, I don't agree.

-But we've not been making noise.

You've got how many builders here? You've got two, four... at least eight builders here.

As Anuja's colleague, Kevin, heard the noise here first-hand,

he served them a notice, and since then, they've had another visit from the Noise Team.

He came in...obviously we were painting and stuff,

and he was standing there and came in and said, "What are you doing?"

He physically saw we had the same amount of men here, only doing quiet work.

I've had this issue, I know six o'clock is the permitted work.

I know Sunday we're not supposed to work, but we're just cleaning up.

To be honest, we have been hammered once. That is it, we've done that one door.

I've been here a while and haven't seen anyone clearing anything.

I'd like all the tools out. How about that? Then I'll let you carry on.

-I can pack up the tools.

-I'll wait for you to do that, otherwise you have to leave.

-I'll put them in the van.

-OK, I'll wait for you to pack up all the tools.

The notice that the diamond geezers working at this jewellery shop have been served

means that they've been warned not to make a noise nuisance again outside the official hours.

But as Anuja hasn't heard any noise today,

they haven't technically broken the rules,

so all she can do is drill home how serious working on a Sunday or bank holiday could be.

If you're here on a Sunday or tomorrow, which is a bank holiday,

if you're here and you've got a notice, we could prosecute you.

If we catch you working and drilling and things, we will prosecute you.

So you are really crossing a fine line.

And when I see all these tools and we're getting complaints,

people aren't going to complain if you're doing quiet works.

I'll keep the decorators on site.

OK, that's fine. But no banging, no drilling, no power tools.

Anuja's laid down the law, but this boss seems determined to push his luck.

He tells Anuja that they'll pack up their tools.

Later today, though, he'll have a potentially noisy delivery.

We've got a van coming on site at three o'clock and we're just going to load it up,

ready for Tuesday morning, you know.

You really are stepping a fine line as to what classes as work and not as work, on a Sunday.

And the easiest way is just not to be here.

OK? So I'm going to give you that warning.

As Anuja didn't witness any nuisance noise taking place today,

she was unable to take action.

Since her visit, there have been no further complaints about these builders, and the case is closed.

To the millions of dog lovers in the UK, these are man's best friend.

Speak. Speak!

DOG WHINES

But when they won't shut up and sound like this...

BARKING

..they drive us barking mad.

At night-time, just when you thought you're going to close your eyes

and go to sleep, all you hear is barking, barking, barking.

You know it's not going to go away and not come back. You just lie there waiting for the next noise.

In Belfast, Northern Ireland, noise enforcement officers Philip and Joe

are used to dealing with complaints about barking dogs.

And tonight, a call has come in about a repeat offender.

Because it's apartments, we would actually need to call in,

just to witness the noise. So, as I say, we'll call in shortly.

This complainant has rang in on several occasions.

Now, I have never witnessed it,

but a couple of us have witnessed the dog barking.

The girl who complained has said she's going to let us in tonight

to take measurements from her property.

The Belfast Noise Squad are dedicated to tackling nuisance noise,

but it's also important to look good...

Looks like Brad Pitt's joined the team. Well, almost.

It's Friday night, and Philip and Joe are on their way to a neighbourhood

where they've received multiple complaints about a barking dog.

They've spoken to the owner and advised how to stop the dog barking,

but it seems as though there's still a problem.

We're just arriving in the street now, we'll pull up across the road,

have a listen, see if the dog is still barking.

As they pull up, Philip can hear the dog.

It's barking.

The owners of this dog have already been served with warning notices,

but the problem hasn't been sorted out.

The next step is to serve an Article 38 notice.

This notice is served to people who've already had warning notices but haven't complied with them.

Once it's served, if the dog owners don't bring their dog to heel,

they could be taken to the magistrate's court,

fined up to £5,000 and get a criminal record.

In order to be able to serve an Article 38, the team have to prove

the noise is a statutory nuisance by building a case over time.

We need to gather enough evidence that there is a problem there,

so we take measurements, count the barks. I've spoken to the complainant several times.

She's been advised that we need to keep repeating the process each time she's being disturbed.

She only appears to be disturbed when the dog owners are out.

The lads have been allowed in to the complainant's home to gather the evidence they need.

Joe is going to be recording the level of noise.

Philip will count the number of barks per minute.

I'm just taking out the noise meter to take the 15-minute measurements.

But before I take any measurements, I have to calibrate it.

So I'll calibrate it and then I'll take a measurement with the dog barking.

Philip has to take a noise reading for 15 minutes.

If the noise level goes over 31 decibels, then it's loud enough for the lads to take action.

But it seems as though this hound has sounded them out,

because it's all gone quiet.

I cut the measurement short at five, because the dog stopped barking just after three minutes.

I let it run for another minute just in case it started up again,

but it hasn't, so I'll just cut it short there.

I mean, we've heard it was barking constantly throughout the first three minutes or so,

so it would definitely cause a noise nuisance to anyone in this room.

The barking may have stopped, but the lads believe there's a problem.

We've gathered all the evidence we can, so...

That constant barking would cause a nuisance

to anyone living in the house we were taking the measurement.

So hopefully, it moves on a bit from now.

Later, we'll join the Belfast noise team

making a visit to the neighbour who's being driven up the wall

by the crying hound dog.

They have no respect for anybody,

and if I thought my dog was constantly barking like that...

It just wouldn't happen,

because I'd be respectful of other people that I'm living around.

And they go to take action.

If there's further disturbance,

the council can take you to court and prosecute you.

Last year, on average,

the Westminster Noise Squad dealt with over 350 complaints a week.

This 21-strong team are the busiest in the country

and are used to dealing with everything from loud parties...

We would like the music off. Off. Now.

..to noisy builders.

If we catch you working and drilling and things,

we will prosecute you.

Anuja Jayawickrema has worked for the council's noise team

for almost seven years.

I said to Kay, "I'll only stay for a year or two,"

and I'm still here!

Anuja's working the night shift and is on her way to deal

with an alarm that has apparently been sounding off for hours.

ALARM WHINES

She's not sure if it's a house alarm or a fire alarm.

We don't have the authorisation to disconnect fire alarms,

in case of fire.

Legally, we're not allowed to disconnect them,

because they could be, you know...

Obviously fire alarms are for fire safety, so we would call the...

..fire brigade out to...have a look,

but there's no sign of fire or anything.

Anuja jumps out of the car

to try and find out what type of alarm this is.

It's not a fire alarm,

it's an intruder alarm - it's that box there, with the light flashing.

Aggravating alarms are a common complaint to the Noise Squad.

Here in Westminster,

if an alarm has been sounding for more than 20 minutes,

it's considered to be faulty and causing a nuisance.

In order to deal with it, officers will try and find a homeowner

on the council's keyholder database.

With any luck, they'll serve a notice,

and the owner will have one hour

to shut it off.

If it's still going off after that, they can call a locksmith out

to disable the alarm,

and the homeowner will have to foot the bill.

The problem's going to be getting a locksmith

who's got a ladder high enough.

Oh, it's stopped! But it might start again.

They're just so unpredictable.

It might stay off, it may come back on.

The flashing light's still on.

The alarm may have stopped,

but Anuja's years of experience on the job

tell her that this problem might not be sorted,

and she waits to see if the alarm will come back on.

Hopefully it will stop,

because the complainant said it hasn't stopped all...

the whole time, it's been on constantly,

so maybe it's just died out.

They're supposed to cut off after 20 minutes, if it sounds.

You know, if someone breaks in, it should go off after 20 minutes.

But obviously, this one's got some sort of fault,

cos there's no signs of break-in or anything and it's gone off

and it didn't turn off after 20 minutes, which it should, by law.

So hopefully it'll stay off, but we'll come and check.

We've got some other jobs to do, so we'll go and do those and come back.

Before heading on to other jobs,

Anuja decides to serve a notice.

If it comes back on tonight, yeah, we can then use that notice,

without having to wait an hour to disconnect the alarm.

So it makes it easier for us not having to do it again.

But obviously, if it comes back on next week or something,

then we'll have to re-serve a new notice.

It stays on the property, on our system,

on the computer system, but nothing else happens.

Just as she's about to serve the notice,

someone from the alarm company arrives.

It stopped, about five minutes ago.

After speaking to the engineer, it's clear the alarm is on the blink.

He's the call-out service from the alarm company

and he said he's been out already twice,

and both times it stopped as it did just now, today,

it's stopped, hasn't it?

So I've served the notice, but...

he said he can't...there's no reason why the alarm should be going off.

It's probably a fault in the panel, the control panel.

So they'll have to come out tomorrow

and have a look at the control panel.

Are you going in to have a look?

-ALARM WHINES

-Yeah, yeah.

Oh, you're... That's it, isn't it?

Anuja's decision to serve the notice is a good one,

as the alarm starts up again.

ALARM WHINES It's started again, hasn't it?

It's time to take action.

Right, shall we call our locksmith to disconnect the alarm

if you can let us in?

You can disconnect it? Oh, right, OK.

Can we come in?

He's going to disconnect the alarm, he reckons.

-He is.

-Yeah, he says he can.

I'm just going to go in and check.

The alarm is off...but for how long?

I don't know when it's going to go off again, that's the problem.

But I thought you'd disconnected it.

I have disconnected it.

-But it may be on the sounding box.

-Exactly.

-Right.

Will you let us in if we get a locksmith to go out on that balcony?

Erm...well, the thing is, I have to... You've got the number?

Yes, we have to get in touch with your...

You have to get in touch with the Control.

OK, if you speak to your Control and let them know

that we may need to disconnect the alarm from the sounding box,

so you need to let us into the building,

cos you can't be disturbing the neighbours all night.

-No, I understand.

-The purpose of asking you to come and let us in

is so we don't have to break in through this door

and change the locks, that's all.

It just saves time and money.

Thank you.

If the alarm goes off again tonight, Anuja has the power to break in

to silence it,

and the owner of the property will have to foot the bill.

Fortunately for all concerned,

there were no further complaints about the alarm

and no further action was necessary.

Anuja may have successfully silenced the alarm,

but there'll be plenty of other noise

for her to deal with tonight.

Not everyone she visits, though, is dressed to receive visitors.

He's in his underpants!

I'll have to ask him to put some clothes on.

In Belfast, a barking dog is driving a neighbour barking mad.

It makes you feel really frustrated.

You just want to tell it to shut up!

And York noise officer Elizabeth is called to a house

where the residents are enjoying

some rather loud tunes in their garden.

LOUD MUSIC

I don't think that's very obnoxious, that music.

I don't think it was.

All over the UK, noisy neighbours are driving us up the wall!

I had a neighbour that was having parties

every other day of the week, driving me nuts.

Noise echoing like mad, annoying every single member of the close.

It's like you're living with someone else,

or you don't have peace in your own home.

Last year in York, the council's Noise Squad

received over 1,000 calls about domestic noise.

LOUD MUSIC

That is very loud.

But it's not just late-night noise that can be a problem.

If it's too loud or out of the ordinary,

noise can be a nuisance at any time of the day.

Today, noise enforcement officer Elizabeth is heading out

to investigate a complaint about loud music

disturbing the peace and quiet of a street.

I'm going to a council property.

We've had a complaint that they've got their music on really loud.

They're probably doing nothing different

than they'd do in the winter,

but because everybody's got their windows open,

it tends to obviously spill out into the street

and obviously affect neighbours, cos they've got their windows open.

With summer in full swing, people like to enjoy the outdoors

and don't always think about others.

Occasionally, I've had situations

where people actually take their stereos outside...

..and blast their neighbours.

If your neighbour's playing loud music,

how long is it going to go on for?

It's completely outside their control when that music starts

and when it stops,

and again that lack of control offends, as well.

As Elizabeth pulls up to the property,

the music is clear to hear.

LOUD MUSIC

We've just driven past, and the music is really loud.

They're playing, having water fights in the garden.

The music's out in the garden,

so I'm just going to ring the complainant now.

She calls the complainant to let them know she's heard the problem.

I'm going to have a chat to them anyway, just ask them to, you know,

take the music indoors, so they're not disturbing the neighbours.

If the problem happens again this afternoon or tomorrow,

if the weather stays nice,

by all means, ring us back.

OK, I'll speak to you shortly, then.

OK? Cheers, then. Bye-bye.

Normally, Elizabeth would visit the complainant,

but she won't be doing that today.

This is quite a close-knit community,

so everybody's known to everyone else,

and in those circumstances, sometimes it's a bit...

..you know, a bit scary putting your head above the parapet

and, you know,

being identified, really.

We'll just see what the reaction is when we go and have a chat.

-MUSIC BLARES

-As she approaches the house to speak to the homeowner,

the music can clearly be heard in the street.

When she arrives, the resident is outside cutting the grass,

but Elizabeth is going to tell her she needs to cut the music.

Hi, excuse me, can I have a chat to you?

Yeah. Hang on. ..Turn that down a minute.

I'm from Environmental Protection at the City of York Council...

-Are you?

-..and we've come about the music, actually.

We've had a complaint about it.

Oh, my God! Today?

-Yeah.

-Are you havin' a laugh?!

When them over there had a party until two o'clock this morning?

The lady is not impressed that she's being asked to quieten down

and says some of her neighbours have been making a racket.

I'll just provide you with some advice...

-No, it's OK.

-..if you can keep it... take the music in -

I don't mind you having it on inside, obviously.

At two o'clock this morning, they were fighting in the street.

I'm getting my solicitor on to this now.

Listen, I've only had me music on while I've been doing my garden.

My 87-year-old mother's in there - she doesn't mind, right?

OK, I've got a baby in there that's asleep.

If there WAS late-night noise last night,

this lady's reaction is understandable,

but Elizabeth and her colleagues can only deal with the complaints

that come in and the noise they witness.

What I'm just asking you to do is not put the music on outside.

-What about when people have their music on? Do I phone you?

-Well, give us a ring, then.

No, because...I'm not being funny, it's the summer!

Oh, my God, people have their music on in the summer...

outside, everywhere, all over the place...

This lady's not happy,

but she's calm and would rather the complainant had had a word with her.

I'd like the person who's complaining,

please give me their name and address

so I can sort it out with them and I'll be very, very, you know,

I won't be obnoxious with it.

I would just say to them, "I'm sorry about that,"

do you know what I mean?

I'll keep it down then.

But if they're doing it to me,

why aren't they doing it to everybody else in the street?

Cos at the end of the day, I think all it is,

is this street's had old people in it for years,

now young people are starting to come into it, yeah?

My mum's not complaining, my mum's 87.

I'm sat in her garden, cutting her grass.

I live here. My mum's not complaining. OK?

I don't think that was very obnoxious, that music,

I don't think it was.

Considering you can hear other people's music over it.

Do you know what I'm saying?

Every time I do something, it's always me that gets it.

Honest to God, honestly it is.

Elizabeth explains that the stereo needs to be taken inside

to make sure there are no further complaints today.

I thought I'd have a quiet word with you today,

and if you keep the music inside, that'll be great.

I won't keep it inside, but I'll keep it down.

No, keep it inside, please.

I don't want to come back this afternoon and it be that loud.

OK, it won't.

OK, no bother. You might have to come back this afternoon,

but it might not be for me.

The lady's agreed to keep things down, and Elizabeth heads off.

Basically, her natural reaction was...

given that she was disturbed over the weekend, was that,

"Oh, why is it always me that gets the blame?"

It is summer, people do have their music on outside,

but I can only deal with complaints that I've got.

If she wants to make a complaint about somebody else,

then I'm happy to go out and to provide advice for them, as well.

But clearly that level of music had been on for three hours,

and it's preventing other people enjoying their properties

and their gardens, when it's on so loud.

With 14 years' experience on the job,

Elizabeth's used to people being a bit defensive

when they're confronted about the noise they're making.

When she gets back to the office, she'll be sending out the paperwork

to try and ensure they don't have to visit the property again.

We'll just send a warning letter out advising of the legislation,

but it may mean if we go back this afternoon or tomorrow,

next week, if the music's on at that level

and we're sat in somebody else's property or somebody else's garden

and we can hear that

and it's affecting the way they live their lives,

we may end up serving an abatement notice,

which would be a final legal warning

that they're not to cause a nuisance to their neighbours in the future.

If they do, then we would look at seizing their stereo

or their CDs,

and of course prosecuting.

Prosecution, seizure of equipment and fines

only happen in a small minority of cases,

and in this instance, the lady was as good as her word.

There were no further complaints about loud music,

and no further action was necessary.

In Belfast, the Noise Squad

are dealing with a persistently barking dog.

It's driving local residents up the wall.

After being served with warning notices

that hadn't been complied with,

the team were gathering evidence

to serve a more powerful Article 38 notice on the owners.

Once served, an Article 38 notice

means that if it were breached, the dog owners could be prosecuted

in the magistrate's court, get a criminal record

and be fined up to £5,000.

That constant barking would cause a nuisance to anyone

living in the house where we're taking the measurement.

So, hopefully, it moves on a bit now.

This case has dragged on for around a year,

and the Noise Squad have spent months gathering the evidence

they need to serve the Article 38 notice.

Today, David, who works the dayshift on the noise team, is on his way

to see the dog owners and he's armed with a notice.

In this case, there's been 26 complaints over the last year or so.

We've got six residents

who've contacted the council about the dog.

I've witnessed the dog barking for nearly an hour on one occasion.

One of the residents has given us a fairly comprehensive diary sheet

over months - a diary sheet with dates and times

showing when the dog was barking.

One of the night-time officers has witnessed the dog barking

and taken a noise measurement in one of the resident's houses

to demonstrate the levels of noise from the barking,

causing enough disturbance that it would cause sleep disturbance

or interference with the use of living rooms and bedrooms.

Before he serves the notice,

David is going to take a statement from a neighbour.

Alison's a dog lover, but she's not loving the sleepless nights

caused by the bothersome barking.

Basically, as I explained on the phone,

-we need to take a statement.

-No problem.

You sent us some diary sheets quite a while ago.

Alison has been keeping a diary of events

to add to the evidence needed to serve an Article 38 notice.

It really is stressful and irritating,

and it makes you feel really frustrated.

You just want to tell it to shut up.

You don't even tell people about it,

because it sounds so trivial, about a dog barking.

But that constant grind every day, in the middle of the night, it just...

Until you're listening to it constantly,

you have no idea what effect it has on you.

It's draining, it really is draining. I feel angry, frustrated,

all just negative emotions.

Noise officers have counted the number of barks per minute.

I bet you can't guess how many it was.

It came to just over 175 barks in two minutes.

That's right! One bark per second. And no let-up.

Having to put up with that regularly

would drive anyone completely bonkers.

The first thing you think is, "I wonder if the dog's out?"

It's happening in the night, the early hours.

You go, "What's going on?"

-That's nearly one bark a second.

-Oh, yeah. It's been awful.

I'm glad something's getting done.

-Thank you very much, David.

-Thank you.

It's time for David to serve the Article 38.

There's no-one at home, but the dog owners aren't off the hook.

I'm going to give the notice to our night-time officers,

see if they can call back this evening

and serve it on them in person.

It gives them an opportunity then

to explain the basis of the notice

and why we're serving it. We do have to make reasonable attempts

to give it to them in person before we'll look at other options.

Serving it by post or something like that.

Later that day, as night begins to fall, David's colleagues

Tim and Jim hit the road to try and serve the Article 38 notice.

Often the day staff have difficulties trying to serve notices

because the dog owners are working nine to five.

When they call out, there's nobody there. A lot of the time,

it falls on us to serve the notices because we work out of hours,

so there's more chance of the dog owners being in.

This time, one of the owners IS home, and Tim serves the notice.

It's about your dog barking and causing too much disturbance.

So what this notice says is if there's further disturbance,

the council can take you to court and prosecute you and fine you.

It seems to be when you are out.

Any time I've been out and witnessed the dog barking,

there hasn't been anybody here,

and it's barking persistently when you're out.

It's your responsibility to ensure it's not disturbing the neighbours.

-OK.

-Cheers, thank you. Good night.

With ten years' experience on the team, Tim's seen it all

and knows how much upset barking dogs can cause.

One of the biggest complaints we get, after noisy parties,

is barking dogs. It really can make people's lives a misery.

And although Jim hopes that's the end of the matter,

Tim's not so sure.

The next step will be, the next time the dog barks,

we'll get out and get measurements.

You pessimist!

-Am I a pessimist or am I just realistic?

-A realist.

And Tim was spot-on.

Since he served the notice,

the dogs have continued to cause a noise nuisance,

and the Noise Squad are preparing to take the owners to court.

In Westminster, noise enforcement officer Anuja

is working the night shift and is on her way

to deal with a complaint about noisy workmen.

Once on site, it's clear what's disturbing local residents.

LOUD MECHANICAL HUMMING

It's the generator which the workmen are using to mix the paint

to paint the road.

How long does it take to mix one can?

One can? It's about one minute.

And how many cans will you need for this?

-All this.

-20 minutes?

SHE LAUGHS

It's midnight, and Anuja asks the guys

how much longer they'll be working for.

What time are you expecting to finish?

We have to make the second coat here,

so about one and a half hours.

The generator they need to run to mix the paint.

They have to put hardener in with it, so they have to mix each can

with the thing and they need the generator running.

But you can see, if you look at it, it's really old and very noisy.

They've got to mix all these tins...

SHE GIGGLES

All those tins have to be mixed with hardener, individually.

They can't put it all down in one go because they have to do two coats,

so that grey stuff that's on the floor now is like a sealant,

and they have to put another coat on that, then put the paint on.

So they'll be here till five.

It turns out the workmen have permission to carry out

the work from another council department.

What time is it? Half past 12 now.

As you heard, it's quite noisy when the generator's running.

Tonight, there's nothing much more Anuja can do. Time to move on.

What a boring job, sitting there watching sealant dry!

Her next call is to a complaint

about loud music in a housing complex.

We're here to see someone about noise.

Can we park out here? Thank you.

It's got street names in here. That is so cool.

Anuja and her colleague head upstairs to see the man

who called to complain about noise coming from a neighbour's flat.

You don't know who lives there?

-No. I've left two notes, actually.

-Yes.

-Can we have a listen?

-Yes, please.

-Is it OK with our shoes on?

-Please, yes.

I can hear the bass.

Quite heavy, isn't it?

You haven't seen them at all? You don't know who lives there?

-No.

-No?

Have you told the concierge?

Yes, actually. We talked to the concierge,

and they advised that we contact you.

And does it get much louder than this?

At the weekend, it sounds like...

HE CLAPS LOUDLY

-..very big bands. At the weekends.

-Right, OK.

Last weekend, it was loud until five, six o'clock in the morning.

You can actually feel the vibration across the floor.

Yeah, you can.

Especially bad when somebody's trying to sleep, you know.

-Yes, of course.

-It goes like...

it just goes into your head.

Yeah. OK. Well, we'll go and speak to them.

Thank you.

The gentleman who called in to complain

says he doesn't want to be a party pooper.

I want them to have a good time. We both have a good time, win-win.

Win-win will be nice.

After listening to the level of the music, Anuja decides it's a nuisance

and writes out an abatement notice.

This is a legal document that means the noise-maker has to quieten down.

If they don't, here in Westminster, the noise team could seize

the equipment that's making the noise,

and they could be taken to the magistrate's court and fined.

We're from Westminster Council. We've had noise complaints.

The noise-maker comes to the door, but he's not dressed for dinner.

He's in his underpants.

I'll have to ask him to put some clothes on.

The noise-maker gets dressed. But even with his clothes on,

he's not too happy to see the noise team or our camera.

But Anuja isn't going to be deterred from sorting this problem out.

I'm afraid it's causing a nuisance to your neighbours.

Can you turn it off for us, please?

After a bit of gentle negotiation, the noise is dealt with

and the notice is served.

I served the notice

and I explained he has the right to appeal,

which he may do. I don't think he will, but he may do.

It'll be interesting to see if any more complaints come in.

To date, Anuja and her colleagues

have received no further complaints about this property,

and no further action has been necessary.

It's been a busy shift for the Noise Squad.

They've dealt with everything from banging builders...

I'd like all the tools out of the shop. How about that?

..to noisy dogs...

That constant barking would cause a nuisance to anyone.

..and complaints about music disturbing the peace of a street.

LOUD MUSIC

Keep it inside, please.

I don't want to come back this afternoon with it that loud.

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

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