MEASURING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR NOISE MOVES A
STEP CLOSER TO HELPING RESOLVE DISPUTES.
The introduction of the Government’s new Anti-Social
Behaviour legislation coupled with new, easy-to-use
noise measurement technology, such as the Bruel&Kjaer
Type 2237ENA Controller, is enabling local authorities,
housing associations and landlords to be more flexible
in the steps they can take to resolve future domestic
noise complaint investigations.
The combination of new simple-to-operate equipment and a
more flexible approach to local enforcement provides powerful
tools for those wishing to take swift, effective steps to deal with
inconsiderate noisy neighbours who play amplified music or
pursue prolonged noisy D.I.Y. activities at night time.
Recent legislation means that local authorities are now able to
retain receipts from Fixed Penalty Notices for night noise
offences to fund noise measurement activities with equipment
like the Type 2237ENA Controller. The instrument is designed
to take even novice users step-by-step through noise measurement
procedures in compliance with the Noise Act 1996. The 2237ENA
Controller is a Type I sound level meter designed to be quick and
simple to use when taking measurements to assess domestic and
general environmental noise complaints. The 2237ENA enables
fully documented results to be easily printed on-the-spot, complete
with calibration data to comply with the measurement protocol of
the Noise Act 1996.
In its Noise Act mode the 2237ENA simultaneously measures the
offending noise level and the underlying noise level over a five-minute
period. The instrument is designed to prompt operators to guide
and remind them of the correct measurement and calibration
procedures.
The instrument stores up to 80 records of measurement results.
Each record stores the date and measurement time together with
the noise parameters relevant to the selected operational mode.
Measurement results may be recalled to the display, printed on
a portable battery-operated printer or transferred to a PC in
spreadsheet-compatible format.
“The data captured by the 2237ENA helps to cost-effectively
resolve many complaints without the need to go to court. For
those situations where the matter cannot be resolved out of
court then the instrument provides the necessary noise
measurement documentation to enable a successful prosecution
under the relevant Anti-Social Behaviour legislation,” explained
Fabio Fineschi, Bruel&Kjaer’s internal sales engineer.
For more than 60 years Bruel & Kjaer has been a noise measurement
innovator. The company has pioneered numerous breakthroughs
in environmental noise monitoring and works with local authorities
throughout the UK to help them solve their noise measurement
problems. Bruel&Kjaer offers the UK’s widest product range of
noise measurement equipment and also runs the UK’s largest
noise measurement equipment service and support facilities.
Under the new legislation any noisemaker who is believed to have
committed an offence under section 4 of the Noise Act 1996 (involving
their failure to comply with a ‘warning notice’ served on them under
section 3 of the Act) will now have the choice of paying a £100 fixed
penalty in place of submitting to prosecution for the alleged section 4
offence (conviction for which may incur a fine of up to £1,000).
The new legislation also provides local authorities with a new power to
retain income from night noise fixed penalty notices.
For the purposes of a night noise offence, the permitted level is
determined in accordance with the following: In any case where the
underlying level of noise does not exceed 25dB, the permitted level
shall be 35dB. Or in any case where the underlying level of noise
exceeds 25dB, the permitted level shall be 10dB in excess of that
underlying level.
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For more information, please contact :-
Bruel & Kjaer UK Ltd.
Bedford House, Rutherford, Close, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 2ND. UK
Tel: +44(0) 1438 739000, Fax: +44(0) 1438 739099
E-mail: ukinfo@bksv.com
Website: www.bksv.co.uk
January 2005
