COUNCILS are offering fed-up residents a state-of-the art new smartphone app to record noisy neighbours’ rows, loud love-making and barking dogs. 
The free-to-download ‘Noise App’, designed by the firm Noise Nuisance, is being trialled by a trio of councils in the Lake District to combat nuisance noise pollution.
Previously, families have had to keep long, laborious diaries to compile months-worth of evidence before councils could act.
Now the app lets them record the problem sounds on their own phone and then ping it straight to their local environmental health department.
The council can then send out an officer to issue warnings – or even issue court proceedings.
The app is being trialled over a two year period in three neighbouring Cumbria councils: Carlisle, Copeland and Allerdale.
Last year Gemma Wale, 22, was fined £150 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court for the noise pollution suffered by her neighbours – caused by her loud sex romps.
In the 2013-2014 financial year, a staggering 422,250 noise complaints were received by UK local authorities, according to a recent nationwide survey.
But on average only 1.7 noise abatement notices were served by each council, for every 100 complaints received.
Now Carlisle City Council hope the use of the app will help them provide much needed relief for their fed-up noise-battered residents.
Today Scott Burns, Carlisle’s environmental health manager, admitted noise issues are their third most common complaint, behind rats and dog fouling.
By CHRIS RICHES
