Surprising trend in Herefordshire noise complaints

People in Herefordshire have either become less noisy or more tolerant of other people’s noise, new official figures indicate.

Herefordshire Council, which has the power to investigate and take enforcement measures against nuisance noisemakers in the county, gave the numbers of different sorts of noise complaints it has received in recent years in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Perhaps unexpectedly, this shows that the overall number has declined steadily over the past five years..

From 853 complaints during the Covid year of 2021, the figure has nearly halved to 479 last year.

Complaints over neighbours’ amplified music peaked in 2023 at 223 before falling to 133 in 2025, while those due to noise from pets and other animals fell over the same period from 183 to 127.

The council says it will only investigate cases where the noise-making can be shown to be unreasonable, persistent, and is “causing harassment, alarm or distress, or significant disruption”.

The council may then send an advisory letter, pay a visit to monitor the noise, or ask for evidence in the form of incident logs, photos or recordings.

It can then move on to formal notices and warnings. And if those are ignored, it can issue fines of up to £5,000 on homes, or up to £20,000 on businesses, as well as seizing noise-making equipment.

The council’s FOI response said it issued only 11 noise abatement notices between 2021 and 2025, though four of those were last year.

The council also has the option of taking action through the courts. It has only pursued a prosecution once in the past five years, in a case which the FOI response says is still ongoing.

Alternatively, residents can apply directly to a magistrates’ court, make a small claim to the civil courts, or seek a solution via an independent mediator, the council’s website suggests.