Noise App helps Durham residents tackle noise disturbance

People in County Durham can now record and report noise disturbance via their mobile phones, thanks to an innovative new app.

Durham County Council has become the first local authority in the North East to use mobile phone technology in this way, having launched the Noise App.

Residents who make a noise complaint to the council are provided with a user name and password, enabling them to register to use the app. Only those with an existing complaint are given the log-in details.

Users can then make recordings of any noise disturbance they are experiencing and submit them instantly to the council.

Officers from the authority’s nuisance action team can then use noise recordings alongside traditional diary evidence to allow them to make a more informed assessment on whether a complaint constitutes a statutory noise nuisance.

Evidence gathered via the Noise App has already contributed to the seizure of a sound bar, hi-fi system and several speakers.