Supporting residents in successful noise nuisance prosecution
30 April 2025
A New Forest resident has been fined after failing to comply with a legal notice ordering them to stop noise nuisance caused by cockerel crowing, following action taken by us.
Harold Brown, of 47 Friars Croft, Calmore, originally convicted in November 2024 for breaching a noise abatement notice we issued, appealed the decision. This appeal was dismissed at Southampton Crown Court on 25 April 2025.
We were initially alerted to concerns of early morning noise nuisance in October 2022 after receiving complaints from 8 neighbouring households in Calmore.
We took action and promptly served an abatement notice in December 2022. After a brief period of respite, further complaints from 12 households within Friars Croft were received in 2023. The diary evidence kept by local residents highlighted that the crowing regularly affected their sleep from as early as 5:00am each day.
Proceedings were taken by us against Mr Brown for non-compliance of the abatement notice between July and October 2024.
The court upheld the original conviction after hearing evidence from two of our officers and six local residents. Mr Brown was found guilty and fined £200. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and legal costs of £3,651.95.
Residents who gave evidence were present in the public gallery and able to witness the proceedings. The judge's comments acknowledged the impact the noise had on their quality of life.
Cllr Dan Poole, our Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing, said, "We are committed to protecting our residents from unacceptable levels of noise and supporting them when issues arise. Everyone has the right to the peaceful enjoyment of their home, and when informal approaches fail, we will not hesitate to take legal action where necessary."
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