The animal noises that sent you barking mad in Kettering and East Northants in 2020

Noise is part of our daily lives, from the sound of road and aircraft, children playing and babies crying and a degree of tolerance is expected.

Councils and the police have legal powers to deal with excessive noise - often described as 'nuisance' or 'anti-social behaviour'.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed the number of complaints of persistent animal noises to Kettering Council and East Northants Councils during 2020 up until mid-November.

The most frequent complaints concerned barking dogs - 63 made in East Northants and 89 in the Kettering Council area - with five received from one Desborough street alone.

Noisy cockerels were the next biggest cause of complaint with five bothersome birds across the two council areas getting neighbours in a flap.

The most exotic animal to assault the ears of annoyed residents was a peafowl in East Northants with the quiet being shattered by its distinctive piercing calls.

Corby Council and Wellingborough Council did not meet the 20-day deadline to respond to a Freedom of Information request.

Activities such as flushing toilets, children playing, washing machines, vacuums, lawnmowers, doors and cupboards closing, are considered to be normal living noise, unless they are happening frequently at unreasonable times.

Noises that can be investigated are loud music, television or video games, persistent DIY or construction noise, loud equipment or machinery, audible alarms, motor events, concerts or shoots, bird scarers, pubs, clubs and bars and persistent animal noises.

Advice from Kettering Council said: "Often people do not realise that their noise is causing an issue. Calmly discussing a problem with your neighbour and working together to reach a satisfactory outcome is more likely to work than ignoring the issues that prompted the complaint, or retaliating with your own noise.

"The following factors are used to determine if noise is unreasonable or excessive: time of day, volume of the noise, how often it happens and lasts for, the source/cause of the noise and the ability for the sound to be controlled."

Click here for more information about how to report a noise problem in the Kettering Council area.

For noise complaints in the Corby Council area click here.

Residents of East Northamptonshire can contact the council by clicking here.Wellingborough Council can be contacted by clicking here.