Waterhead makes the most noise

THE worst areas in Oldham for nuisance noise have been revealed as part of a new study.

In Oldham last year there were a total of 1,070 noise complaints reported, down from 1,102 in 2015.

The figure, supplied by the local council, amount to 4.64 complaints per 1,000 people.

The highest number of complaints were recorded in Waterhead (7.8 per cent of complaints), followed by Alexandra (7.3) per cent and Medlock Vale (6.4 per cent).

The most common noise complaints were domestic noise (53 per cent), barking dogs (18 per cent, commercial noise (12 per cent), industrial noise (9 per cent) and house alarms (6 per cent).

Across the country, London recorded the most complaints with eight councils featuring in the top 10.

Kensington and Chelsea was identified as the borough with the highest nuisance noise complaint levels in 2016, with around 87 complaints per 1,000 people.

The area with the second highest noise complaint rate was Westminster, at 73 complaints per 1,000 people in the residential population.

Loudest

Outside of London, Newport in South Wales was the area with the highest noise complaint rate, with around 18 complaints per 1,000 people in 2016.

Few complaints were registered in Dumfries and Galloway, giving it the lowest nuisance noise complaints rate at just 0.08 complaints per 1,000 people.

Some of the more peculiar complaints received in other areas of the country include Morris dancers in Surrey, a Chinese man flying a radio-controlled helicopter in South Wales, and a group of men playing football inside a flat in Brent.

Linda Firth, from LoveMyVouchers.co.uk who have created an interactive map of the data, said: "Everybody likes a good party now and again, but if your neighbour is blasting out loud music every night, your local council are there to help resolve the situation.

"Nuisance noise can cause lack of sleep and significant distress, so it is best to take action before it impacts your health."