Under UK law, noise levels must be kept to a minimum between the hours of 11pm to 7am and this covers playing loud music, partying, dogs barking, vehicles, and machinery noises like lawnmowers and even washing machine
Brits have been warned that they could face a fine of £5,000 if they break this little known noise law this summer.
As the weather gets warmer – and hopefully dryer – more Brits will be spending more time outside either in their gardens, on their balcony or in public parks. If people have a bit of time off over the summer months, they may also take on some DIY tasks However, many are unaware that there are rules around noise, and if broken, it could result in a fine warns the Toolstation.
Under UK law, noise levels must be kept to a minimum between the hours of 11pm to 7am and this covers playing loud music, partying, dogs barking, vehicles, and machinery noises like lawnmowers and even washing machines. Toolstation adds that whilst there are no set laws that govern DIY-related work.
There are laws that cover construction works to limit any excess noise disruption and each local council usually has its own set of guidelines. However on average any construction-related work must be confined between the hours of 8am – 6pm from Mondays to Fridays and between 8am – 1pm on Saturdays. And despite 70% of Brits believing so, Toolstation says construction-related work should not take place on Sundays or any bank holidays.
As a general rule of thumb, Toolstation notes that any DIY work that involves using power tools or machinery such as mowing the lawn, sanding down walls, or drilling should not be carried out outside of these hours. However, for the smaller DIY jobs such as painting and decorating, resealing grout, or gardening – providing these are not disruptive to neighbours – should be fine to carry out.
Under the Environmental Protection Act of 1990, local councils must look into complaints that can be classed as a “statutory nuisance” and these are not just restricted to night hours. According to Gov.UK, a statutory nuisance is when a noise or other disturbance such as air or light pollution is “unreasonably and substantially interfering with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises or is likely to injure the health of an individual.”
Once the council has deemed that a statutory nuisance is happening or has happened, they will serve an “abatement notice” to the person responsible. This requires whoever is responsible to stop the activity or limit it to certain times to avoid causing a nuisance. Toolstation says if you do not comply, you could get fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £110. If you do not pay the fine in time you could also be prosecuted in court and fined up to £5,000.
Toolstation says that permitted noise levels are measured using A-weighted decibels (dBA). The permitted noise levels in the UK are based on the underlying noise level (natural background noise level). If the underlying level of noise is higher than a certain dBA threshold, then the permitted noise level can be 10 dBA above this
The laws in England and Wales state that during the nighttime hours – 11pm – 7am – noise levels cannot exceed 24 dBA, unless the underlying noise is above this in which case it is 34 dBA. However, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, noise levels should not exceed 21 dBA unless the underlying noise level is above this, in which case it is 31 dBA. Toolstation noted: “For reference, 50 dBA is equivalent to a normal conversation, whereas 70 dBA is the same as the average vacuum cleaner.”
If you are unsure about any of the guidelines, Toolstation says you should check your local council’s website.