19 Nov Serial noisy Harlow neighbour fined again
A persistent noisy neighbour who played heavy-bass music at excessive volumes has once again found themselves subject to court action thanks to Harlow Council.
Back in September, Laura Featley, of Arkwrights, was fined by the court following several complaints of bass-heavy dance music being played loudly from her home, sometimes for hours at a time. These complaints were investigated by Environmental Health officers.
Despite a noise abatement notice being issued, and while the last set of court proceedings were being prepared, Miss Featley continued to cause problems for her neighbours with her continuous loud music.
This led to the council issuing further court proceedings against her, which were held via the Single Justice Procedure (used for minor criminal offences), meaning there was no physical hearing. After once again being found guilty she was issued a fine of £220, as well as a victim surcharge of £34 and legal costs of £45, meaning she must pay £299 for this latest offence.
Commenting on the case, Councillor Nicky Purse, portfolio holder for environment, said: “My thanks go out to the Environmental Health and Legal teams here at Harlow Council for once again proving that it doesn’t pay to be a noise nuisance. It is unfair and unacceptable that our residents in Arkwrights have been subjected to this barrage of noise by one person for this long and I really do hope that now, following two guilty judgements from the court, that this resident thinks about the consequences of their actions have on those around them and works to change their ways.
“It’s about respecting one another – something that I think we can all agree is part of our community’s makeup. If you don’t show respect for your community, it could end up being an expensive choice as this case has shown.”
You can report nuisance noise of various types to the council at www.harlow.gov.uk/noise
