Nuisance

South Bucks District Council deals with the following different types of nuisances:

The following matters can be investigated under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, sec 79

• any premises in such a state as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• smoke emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• fumes or gases emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
•  any dust, steam, smell or other effluvia arising on industrial, trade or business premises and being prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• any accumulation or deposit which is prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• any insects XXXX from relevant industrial, trade or business premises and being prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• any animal kept in such a place or manner as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• artificial light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance
• any other matter declared by any enactment to be a statutory nuisance

Local authorities have a duty to investigate complaints, and appropriate action will be taken should we consider the disturbances to be a 'statutory nuisance'. The definition of Statutory Nuisance is defined by the Environmental Protection Act 1990, (chapter 43, Part III, section 79).

When informal action is not possible or fails, you should complain to your Local Authority and they will investigate your complaint.

Once you make a formal complaint, you will be asked to complete diary log sheets, which should provide accurate details of a pattern of disturbance episodes including:

• A description of the noise and how it affects you in your home or garden
• The dates the noise disturbs you
• The times the noise starts and then stops.
• The diary sheets should then be returned to us for analysis, and based on this evidence appropriate action will be taken. This may involve visits to your property to witness the disturbances you are experiencing.

If you wish to register a formal complaint, you can either complete the nuisance complaint online form, or contact Environmental Health below.