very noisy party and the police say they can't help

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Two doors down a very noisy party. DJ in the back garden. Random people screaming and squealing. All our windows are closed and it's still loud. I called the police and they say they can't do anything. Apparently at weekends they don't do noise calls, only crimes. The person on the telephone told me I need to ring Environmental Health and they don't answer calls at the weekend. WTF? Do any Mumsnetters know what to do?

We only send officers to a houseparty if there is a disturbance - by which I mean people fighting. If it's a quiet Tuesday night and there are free officers I would send a noisy party in a garden for resourcing but on a Saturday night in August they will be flat out trying to resource emergencies - and running out of officers to resource violent domestics and people being attacked. We assess threat, harm and risk and I'm afraid that when you have lots of 999s coming in for violent incidents/RTCs/vulnerable mispers then a noisy party where there is no violence is going to drop right down the scale.

My husband was working last night. We live in a large seaside resort, 100,000 people - he had 14 officers on duty to do 999 response and police a carnival notorious for public disorder. By 1am he had run out of people.

Don't blame the calltaker that won't send an officer. Blame the prime minister and George Osbourne for the savage police cuts.Because they have had a huge effect what we deal with - when I joined the police 12 years ago we would have attended a noise complaint.

EHO don't have OOH any more because, guess what, they haven't got any money either.

Those of you saying it is only a bit of fun and let them be; would you fancy being operated on by a surgeon who had been kept awake all night by a party (possibly after being on call the night before)?

I felt like calling the police last night
I could hear Bryan Adams doing an outdoor festival
Why should I have to put up with that?
Why?

Still, it could be worse. At least its not status quo again

I quite like Bryan Adams.

If they are joined to you best idea is to maybe put on something really obnoxious like Chaz n Dave on loop, then go out for the day. That should turn their brain to cream cheese by the time you come back, and possibly running round the garden shouting make it stop!

We have been dreading the hot weather as it brings the party people out in force around our way. MY DH has to work early shifts too, and I work weekends sometimes, it's hard.

This was me last night and I coped. I slept in a different room, I had a fan on (noisy) and had earplugs in. It had been really loud, it was NDNs son's 18th family party, there were lights and even lasers. However they are not doing this all the time so AFAIC it's live and let live. Once a year in August they have a big party and they always warn me. I woke to go to the loo at 3am and all was quiet then, I think it finished about 1.30-2am as I sort of heard it then.

If it's rare, calling the Police is just ridiculous. As if they haven't got real emergencies to attend to... everyone's default position on MN is to "call the Police" it seems, very strange.

Also I wouldn't dream of putting loud music on at 8am just to annoy neighbours. My view would change of course if it was very frequent.

It's a waste of police time and resources ft them to attend calls like this and I am glad they have stopped attending them now.

It's the council and environmental health you need to contact OP.

No doubt the noisy neighbours will be enjoying a lie in now. I recommend early morning kareoke at yours. Or as pp said something like 'one hit wonders of the 70s' on loop whilst you go out. If they try to escape to the garden, or have their windows open you could also try learning to play the recorder/violin/tuba in your garden. Or better still invite local children for a musical taster morning.

Hope you get a better night tonight- and on a serious note I'd follow it up with environmental health so that at least you can get some advice from them on what to do if there is a repeat performance or this becomes a regular event.

We had this about a year ago. Police not interested, local authority don't deal with noise. Police became very interested when we told them that there were several children in the house, and no sober adults, and we could see minors drinking alcohol.

"Today 08:32 blaeberry

Those of you saying it is only a bit of fun and let them be; would you fancy being operated on by a surgeon who had been kept awake all night by a party (possibly after being on call the night before)?"

This is so hilariously random

OP one thing- I reported my neighbours, EH were excellent came out stopped their parties (they were frequent and in the week) and they were excellent but they also slammed them with a noise order which then came up in the searches when I sold my house 2 years later

Not random at all. Who are you that you are so super special and allowed to decide if others get to sleep? There is no excuse for noise at night in residential areas.

Want a big noisy party? Hire an isolated venue where you can scream all you like. Oh, and if you've swilled too much that's your fault, don't call for help.

I think we can all manage a disturbed night every now and then - but not on regular basis. We are reasonably rural but on the hillside opposite us there is a slightly hippy campsite which a couple of years ago decided to put on some sort of festival which ran from lunchtime on Good Friday until lunchtime on the Bank Holiday Monday. Music started at lunchtime, finished around 3am and was on again from about 10 in the morning - for 3 solid days.

You could hear it for miles but the police couldn't do anything, I even went round one morning and just got a load of abuse, it was horrendous. However the neighbours had the last laugh as they were done for not having the right licenses, safety stuff and have been remarkably silent for the last couple of years (nobody knows who instigated this, I think the police went round when they had a chance and asked questions). About twice a summer they have a loud party which usually finishes around 2 - I can cope with that - but no more 3 day sessions thank god.

If it's a one off then I'd be tempted to go round in good time in the morning and bang on the door and let them know your feelings, if it's regular then get on to Environmental Health and ask them to help. It would be nice if people had a little more respect - it wouldn't change the noise but if at least you knew it was coming it wouldn't be quite so annoying.

But surely this falls under the "causing a public disturbance\ anti-social behaviour " area of crime?! People get arrested for all manner of inconsequential crap, SP why not something like this?

Noise nuisance is a civil matter and not a criminal one. I can't believe your local environmental health doesn't have a OOH number though. Report it to them on Monday.

Thanks again for your feedback, everyone.

Truffle, I appreciate your explaining things from the police's point of view. I am in no way blaming the woman I spoke to on the telephone who was just doing her job. Nonetheless I am frustrated that cutbacks have put people in residential areas at the mercy of their noise nuisance neighbours. The police woman I spoke to was the one who told me that there was no OOH phone number for Environmental Health in our council.

Revenge via loud daytime music wouldn't be appropriate as Nightmare Neighbour is two doors down and if I tried that, I'd be disturbing nice people along with her.

The irony is that Nightmare Neighbour was literally screaming at our next door neighbour (I heard her screaming with the windows closed) for working in his garden past 9:30 pm on a weeknight. Apparently it was disturbing her.

I try to be tolerant but having a roaring loud DISC JOCKEY in one's back garden after 2:00 am in a residential area with no warning to the neighbours is really taking the piss. You can have parties without keeping the whole street awake.

I'll report it to EH.

It's not that noise disturbances aren't breaking any laws- I'm sure there are antisocial behaviour/public disorder infractions going on - it's that the police do not have enough resources (ie, coppers on the street) to come out to this on a Saturday night. My DP is an officer - he started work at 7pm last night and he's still there now, dealing with violence and drug offences mostly, people are being taken off normal duties for terrorism patrols, there would just not be a spare team to come and tick people off for disturbing the peace, they're too busy dealing with more serious stuff. With limited resources they have to prioritise.

Special- the random but was the bit about being happy to be operated on by a surgeon who'd been kept awake

it depends op, it depends on the time too, after midnight and I am sure the police have more obligation to attend, that is of course as long as they can. I mean - I trust the police and the operators to give order of preference to calls out . I have had police come out in the day and at night before, so it can be done, but obv not if something more serious is going on.

ps also depnds on number of complants, if no t no one else complains..

ali

dont give up on calling police, as I said - I have had them out, they will come if they are not doing anything, its not beyond reason is it that officers may be able to nip out and tell them to be quiet. It just depends if they are busy or get a call to something else en route.

If this is regular its a good idea to chat to some other neighbours about it, explain the police can do more - if more people call, and in the mean time get onto EH as well, and encourage them too

I hate people who have loud garden parties after 10 pm. Move it inside so the whole neighbourhood doesn't have to listen/can actually get some sleep. Total lack of respect for neighbours.

My council has a team that comes out - if it's inside the property it's an issue for them, not the police.

Oddly enough I also had the first problem I've ever had in my block last night - my first night without the baby, I was planning on hours of uninterrupted sleep, and the teenage son of the neighbours underneath had a sodding party. It's a big mansion block and his extremely wealthy parents have the whole of that floor (I do not, I hasten to add!), so all his Hugo and Rupert mates were braying and neighing on the balconies and then for about an hour outside the gates waiting for a taxi at 2am. At midnight I heard a neighbour yell that she was going to call the police if they didn't shut up. 20 mins later they were dancing on the street and rah rah rah-ing.

I had to get up at 7 so I totally lost it and screamed "shut up you little CUNTS". I don't know if they heard but thank god their taxis arrived then.

I don't mind until 11 or something like a baby or a dog, but over entitled west London brats should fuck off and smoke on someone else's parents' balconies, yah?

TL:DR - sympathy fist bump for OP

It's never OK, IMO to have a party like this in a garden, but I would let it go unless there was a wider problem.

I would not call police about this unless there was drug-taking or some other illegal behaviour (vandalism, fighting)

I would (and have) go over to the house and tell them to turn the music down

I would pursue it through the council if it was a regular occurrence

Thanks so much for this advice, everyone. I'll talk to the other neighbours and see what they say . . .

Scarednoob, you have my sympathies!