Noise complaints in Omagh have tripled since last year

COMPLAINTS about noisy neighbours trebled in the Fermanagh and Omagh area during the lockdown period – and ‘parties, loud TV and loud music’ have been partly to blame!

Figures show that complaints in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area rose from ten in April and June 2019, to 31 this April and June – a massive increase of 210 per-cent.

Incidentally, this is the biggest percentage increase out of the ten councils areas studied (however, the figures do not include statistics from Belfast City Council). The Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) explained that a number of factors related to the lockdown may have been behind the spike.

“Background noise levels were lower due to the absence of road traffic, which means that sound transmission between dwellings will have been more noticeable,” Dan Sanders, from the ANC, said. “Normal domestic behaviour may also have altered during this challenging period.”

Across the North, a total of 438 complaints about neighbour noise were received by the ten councils between April and June – up from 200 from the same period in 2019.

In Derry and Strabane, noise complaints rose from 24 to 58, and in Mid Ulster, noise complaints rose from 14 to 37.

The ANC said a dispute with a neighbour can often be settled with effective communication.

“Talking to your neighbour and explaining the situation might in some cases help to solve the problem,” Mr Sanders said.