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Noise nuisance is on the increase, and councils across Devon are willing to take tough action against noisy neighbours. Media reports suggest that complaints have soared to more than 8,000 in the past year, and in Teignbridge, our ears have been ringing with at least 550 of those. A hard line can sometimes be the only effective option, but there's also a danger in being deaf to one side of the noise debate, and simply increasing the volume of enforcement action without exploring other solutions. However, there is an undeniable link between noise nuisance and other forms of anti-social behaviour, so we have to strike a balance when dealing with persistent offenders, and ensure they are dealt with swiftly and robustly. This approach foreshadows [home secretary] Alan Johnson's recent launch of a fresh crackdown on anti-social behaviour, nationally. To help us in this approach, we partner with the police, the primary care trust, social landlords, the Environment Agency, and internal services, including environmental health, community safety, licensing and planning to ensure a joined-up approach to tackling trouble-makers. And this approach is bearing fruit. Recent high-profile successes have included achieving the country's first contested closure notice on a property in Dawlish, resulting in problem tenants being removed, and a decent quality of life being restored to other tenants traumatised by threatening behaviour, loud, late-night music, drug use and criminal damage. We've found that enforcement action needs follow-up action in order to effect change. We work to address the causes as well as the effects of the issues. Our enforcement policy seeks to be fair, but also proportional, and we try to keep working with nuisance people, even after we've taken enforcement action. Last year, for example, despite successfully prosecuting a Teignmouth nightclub over noise levels, we worked with its management to ensure problems didn't recur. Prosecution proved the problem, and we used this as clear evidence for resolving it. Now that new noise levels have been set and adhered to, there haven't been any more complaints. Tough action is often appropriate, and we're happy to walk the talk. But no-one likes a party-pooper, and we need to remember that the proportional approach to the odd loud stereo isn't cutting off the electricity, fining the household £5,000 and confiscating the kit. It can be as simple as asking them to turn down the volume and explaining why. In many instances, timely and clear reasoning is more pre-emptive than enforcement and prosecution – but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pull the plug when we need to, for the sake of others. Nicola Bulbeck is chief executive of Teignbridge DC

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WHITEHALL

District View: noisy neighbours

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